The Only One to Blame
by TheQueenV
Summary: Always Randy and Rita. They had championship reigns together. Wrestled together. Feuded together even. Nobody thought they could ever be broken apart. But then Ambrose comes along, showing Rita that someone else may be worthy of her time, and proving to her all the things that Randy didn't want to give her. Randy met his match in Rita, but can he compete with Ambrose?
1. Chapter 1

_There was something about the way she moved. The way she danced, her hips swaying to the music... It mesmerized him. Everything she did made him want her more and more. His only obstacle was the man she was dancing with._

_ He was everything she ever wanted in a man. But things began to fall apart when they decided to take their relationship to the next level. Now, he's left behind while she's rocketing beyond him._

_ Inspired by the song "Think Like A Man" by Jennifer Hudson._

**_A/N:_**_ Thought it was time to try and place down this story I've had in my mind for some time. I usually always have music going, be it on iTunes or on an internet radio. Well, this song played, and while I didn't pay it any mind at first, I kept hearing it... Again. And again. And once more. It started talkin' to me, and I just couldn't ignore it anymore. This is my first attempt to place a song behind a story, and I hope it doesn't disappoint. Enjoy!_

_I do not claim to own the song, nor do I claim to own any WWE characters. The independent promotions that may be mentioned in this also belong to themselves. I own nothing but my original characters and the idea in my mind. Although I wouldn't mind getting Mr. Moxley for a night, or be able to sing that good!  
_

"Well, what do you want me to do, Randy?" She waited for him to give an answer... Anything. Just some type of response, just to let her know that there was even the smallest chance that he still cared. "What do you want me to say? You lost the game you taught me how to play."

The silenced blanketed between them thickened, neither wanting to walk away. But she couldn't stay. Not when she knew that he no longer wanted things to be the same. They couldn't take this further, and she shook her head at the thought of even trying. Things were so easy. Why did he have to complicate them?

Grabbing her leather jacket and folding it over her arm, she gave him one last look before opening the door to his locker room. There was not a single sign of apology on his face, so she left. Left him behind to sit in his own shame, to wallow in his own pity. There wasn't anything she could do anyway. Her heart was somewhere else.

"""""

Her body slammed down the mat, graciously taking the bump that was delivered.

"And again," Regal called out.

Another flip over Natalya's shoulder. She laid there for a moment before quickly getting back to her feet.

"You look so pretty when you land," Natalya commented as she twisted her hair off to the side.

"Oh, don't tell me that. I don't want to look like a model when I'm being dropped down to the mat in pain."

"Rita!"

Regal approached the ropes on the side of the ring closest to the person who had yelled out her name.

"What do you want, Orton? We're training here."

"Oh come on, Regal," Randy scoffed. "She's the next women's champion. She doesn't need training."

"Maybe not," Rita said, winking at Regal. "But I do need to do my job. Now get out of here, I'll meet up with you in an hour."

Randy pointed a finger up at her. "Better not make me wait any longer."

Rita's eyebrows shot up at his demand, a smirk coming over her lips. That is what had attracted her to Randy in the first place. They could go joke-for-joke, punch-for-punch, figuratively, and neither one of them gave in. Shaking her head, she focused back on the task at hand. She would have her time with Randy later on.

"Okay, back to work," Regal said, clapping his hands together.

"""""

"Girl, what is up with Randy barging into practice like that?" Trinity pulled her hair up into a tight ponytail before shaking her head. "He's got something deep for you."

Rita grinned at her friend's words. "Everyone thinks that, but trust me, there's nothing." Continuing to apply her makeup, she noticed Trinity still looking at her. "What?"

"Nothing," she said with a laugh. "You just don't want to see it."

"Because there's nothing to see!" She placed her makeup items back into the appropriate bag, scoffing at the ideas she knew Trinity had. "Please, none of that nonsense tonight. I just want us to have some fun while we have a few hours to go out."

"Alright, okay, fine," Trinity hummed out, knowing that she wouldn't get anything out of her. "What are you wearing tonight?"

"That blue dress with all my sapphire stuff."

"That Randy bought you," Trinity added, receiving a light slap on her shoulder from Rita.

"Please, Trin!" She smoothed out the front of her hair that swept over her face. "Not tonight!"

A knock on their hotel room door brought them back to finishing what they were doing.

"Fine, fine, but I want all the details tomorrow over tonight," Trinity said as she walked towards answering the door. "I know something's gonna go down."

She swung open the door, the face of the man that was their topic meeting her view.

"Jon's downstairs," he said to Trinity with a smile. "Are you two ready?"

Trinity stepped away from the door, going over to her bed to place some items into a small clutch purse. "Ready as ever," she said. "And my man don't even come to the door to get me."

Rita scoffed. "Oh, stop it. You know Jon will be all over you when he does see you." She clasped on her sapphire bracelet, satisfied when it hung loose on her wrist. Completing her attire with a matching sapphire ring, she followed Trinity out the door, Randy's hand protectively placed in the small of her back.

"Feeling blue tonight?" he joked, a grin on his face.

Keeping her voice low as they stepped into the elevator, she shook her head. "Not at all, but if you interrupt my training session again, I'll make your balls blue." She paused to adjust the sapphire earring that seemed to be pinching her ear at that moment. "Permanently."

"Damn," Jon's laughing tone of voice said. "She told you, Randy."

His comment earned him a slap on the shoulder from Trinity. "That ain't necessary. Keep to yourself."

"Ow! What?" he shrugged. "It was funny."

"It ain't gonna be funny when you get the same treatment," Trinity said in a low tone.

This time it was Randy's turn to laugh, but he quickly stifled it when Rita shot him a look that could have burned a slap into his face.

"What is this place, anyway?" Jon asked as they stepped out of the elevator. He straightened the silver watch on his wrist before taking a hold of Trinity's hand.

Rita's shoulders shifted up. "Some club," she replied. Honestly, she was completely uninterested in going to clubs and bars. That scene just wasn't for her. But she went to hang out with her co-workers and friends.

"Everybody gonna be there?" Jon asked. His question was answered as they rounded a corner into a corridor that led them into a lobby.

"Right here," Randy said. "And it looks like nearly everyone's here."

Rita glanced up at the neon sign hanging over the entrance way. It was lit-up, the lights bouncing back and forth between a martini glass and the name of the club.

"_The Martini Shaker_?" Rita said, her eyebrows shooting up. "Well, that doesn't sound cheap at all, does it?"

"Trin! Rita!"

All four of them looked to where the loud voice was calling the girls' names. Ariane came barreling their way, a drink sloshing in her hand.

"Girl, that's your friend," Rita said quickly before grabbing a hold of Randy's arm and pulled him away from the group.

Randy looked at Jon, a worried look now plastered over the Samoan's face. "Sorry man," he simply said before being taken away completely. He and Rita settled at a small table near the back of the club.

"People sitting here?" Rita asked Randy as she looked over the table.

"Who cares," Randy said, pushing her body to sit on the bench, then shoving his way to sit beside her. "This place is already giving me a headache."

She placed her hands on the table, rubbing the coldness from her fingers. "So why did you want to come out?"

"What else were we going to do tonight?" he asked nonchalantly, eying two people making their way towards their table.

"Oh, I don't know," she dawdled out. "Stay in and get some sleep?"

"You and Randy actually get some sleep around each other?" John said as he stood in front of the table. He looked to his side, motioning Nicole to sit. "You guys order drinks yet?"

Rita shook her head. "We just got here."

"Well, let me do the honors," John said, starting to walk off towards the bar area.

"Just a water, Cena!" Rita called out, huffing when he waved his hand behind him at her.

"A water?" Nicole asked. "Girl, we planned to have some fun tonight."

Randy's lips pursed, a smirk settling. "Ri's idea of having fun was sleeping all night."

Nicole shook her head, happy to engage into conversation with the two as they waited on their drinks. She had to admit, Rita took her by surprise at first with her bold attitude and sharp demeanor, but she easily made friends with the woman as time went on. Now the two were nearly a year strong into their friendship, and she was thankful for it.

Glasses clinking down on the tabletop brought Nicole and Rita out of their talk. Nicole gratefully took the drink she knew John would order for her, and took a sip.

"Cena," Rita said as she looked at the drink that was slid before her. "I know you know the difference between a Mudslide and water." She looked up at him, her eyebrow raised. "Right?"

"Oh," John said, holding up his hands. "Hold on there, Rocky Rita. You can put that eyebrow down right now. I just thought you'd like to enjoy your favorite drink tonight."

"Since when do you know what I like?" she asked, snatching up the glass and taking a sip through the straw. The second the milkshake hit her tongue, she relaxed. Rolling the creamy texture around in her mouth, the sweet taste lit her up, and she let her head hang back. "So good."

"See?" John said as he took his seat next to his girlfriend.

Nicole's surprised face quickly turned into one of amusement as she sipped on her drink as well. The minutes passed, turning well into an hour of them sitting, talking and enjoying the simple company. Rita, however, had been dancing in her seat, the music finding its way straight to her bones. A second Mudslide and half of one of Randy's beers later, she couldn't fight the urge to dance.

"Where are you going?" Randy asked her as she slid herself over his lap.

"Have to go dance now," she said, willing herself away from his company.

"You want to go with her?" she heard John ask Nicole, and soon, Nicole was standing next to her, their bodies moving to the song.

"""""

Randy watched on as Trinity and Ariane soon found their way to Rita and Nicole. The four ladies dancing and having fun with each other made him smile. It wasn't often that Rita let herself go, even for just a night. No matter how hard he tried looking away from Rita though, his eyes found their way back to her. From the day he met her at headquarters as she was talking to Paul about signing her contract, he couldn't stay away from her. He didn't know what it was. He was just drawn to her.

Unfortunately, he wasn't the only one drawn to her presence. His eyes fell upon a male grabbing at her, the guy's hands rubbing down her body. He knew Rita hated when random people touched her. Randy could feel his face drop into a scowl as he watched Rita turn towards the man, her hand up in the air to bid the man back.

"Man," John whistled out. "I feel sorry for that dude if he doesn't leave her alone."

Randy took a sip from his beer before near slamming it down on the table. He stood, and against the advice of John, headed towards where Rita stood arguing with the man.

"Just one dance, sweetheart," the guy said, his hand reaching out to grab for Rita again.

She snatched her arm away from him again, her lips parted to cuss him out again. However, just as she was about to say something, another male body stepped in front of her, shielding her from the unwanted attention.

"I think the lady told you to back the fuck off."

Randy stopped in his tracks at the voice.

"Moxley, it's okay," Rita said, pressing her hands to his back.

"No," he said, not quite turning his head away from the guy. "It's not okay. It's going to be even worse if he doesn't do what's best for him, and leave."

"What's it to you?" the guy said. "I don't see no fucking ring on her finger."

"Jon." Rita pulled at his arm, attempting to turn him away.

"Ri!" Randy called out. "Come on, we're leaving!"

Rita looked at him, then up at the dirty blond in front of her.

"You okay?" he asked her. She nodded, avoiding the way his dark blue eyes scanned her face. He took her by the hand and led her towards Randy.

"Why are we leaving? I thought you guys wanted to stay out more?" Rita asked Randy as she joined him.

Randy paused, glancing at Ambrose. "Why don't we just head back to the hotel room?" he asked, his eyes slowly dragging back to Rita.

"Hey," Nicole said, taking a hold of Rita's arm. "Are you alright? That guy was a jerk."

"Yeah," Rita answered, nodding. "I'm fine. Really, I'm good. We don't have to go back."

Randy had already assembled walls around Rita, not wanting anyone else around her. He had to protect her. Block her from any harm.

"Let's go," he said, taking her hand in his.

Rita stumbled on her words, her thoughts being caught between her friends left standing there, and truly desperate for some air. It didn't help that the dirty blond hair devil had been the one to rescue her. Her thoughts continued floating back to him, even as she and Randy started heading towards his hotel room.

"Do you want to get your things?" he asked her as they waited for the elevator.

She nodded, then shook her head. "I don't know. I guess it can wait."

Randy looked down at her, her black hair cascading down and twisting off to one shoulder. The moment her emerald eyes met his, he thought they would completely undo him. They could make him do anything for her, give anything to her. Be anyone for her.

Resisting the strong urge to lean down and kiss her, he looked straight ahead.

"What's with Ambrose?" he asked, clearing his throat.

"What about him?"

"You let him touch you?"

She let out a thankful breath as the elevator chimed and they were able to step off. Following him to his room, she remained quiet, but she knew that when Randy had questions, he would want some answers. She waited for him to slide the key card into the door, her brain scrambling for something to say to him. Truth was, she didn't have any answers for him. She didn't know why Ambrose had come to her side.

"Well?" Randy asked as he slid off his suit jacket.

She looked at him from where she sat on the edge of the bed. Randy disappeared into the bathroom again, his fingers working to unbutton his shirt.

"Can we just pretend nothing happened?" she asked, sighing heavily.

Randy stepped out of the bathroom, his white dress shirt undone. Even when he looked a little sloppy, he still looked good. Rita's teeth grazed over her bottom lip, unable to stop the nervous bite.

"_Did_ something happen, Ri?" he asked her, pulling open the clasp of his gold watch. "You tell me."

Her eyes examined him, going from his handsome face down his bare chest, lower still to the belt buckle that hung opened around his waist. This man always did know just how to tease her.

But she scoffed, standing up to undress her own body. She felt Randy's body behind her, his hard muscles pressing against her back. His hands roamed down the side of her curvy body, and his lips touched the back of her neck.

"Have I ever told you that you look amazing in sapphires?"

She laughed at his question, a smile on her face now. "Only a few times," she said, feeling his fingers pull the zipper of her dress down. "But you can remind me again just how much you like it."

Randy's hands worked the fabric down from her shoulders, feeling her shudder under his touch. He placed his lips to the side of her neck, rumbling words into her sensitive flesh.

"I love how your body responds to me." Gently, he spun her around, his eyes demanding her full attention as the blue dress dropped to the floor. She took a deep breath, her gaze lowered to the floor as she felt Randy's sweep over her. "So amazing."

His deep voice was enough to sent her over the edge. But when his hands found their way around her body, squeezing and exploring every bit of her... She could have melted right there.

Randy could tell she was losing sense of reality as his fingers touched her soft skin. He was pretty damn sure that Ambrose was far from Rita's mind. The thought of the new, young wrestler unsettled him though. He hadn't liked the looked that Ambrose gave Rita. They were too interested. Too intense.

"Randy," Rita whispered, her palms reaching to touch his face. He wasted no time in pressing their lips together, reveling in the soft moan in the back of her throat. Her hands fumbled with the button of his slacks as he pulled her to the bed.

"Lay down," he told her. Hardly paying attention to what his hands were absently doing to undress himself, he kept his eyes steadily on her, taking in the curves of her body. It pained him knowing that she still had her undergarments on. He needed to see her completely bare, showing and sharing herself to him. He wanted to know that her thoughts were still only with his.

Kneeling on the bed, he slid her panties down her thighs, a groan of pleasure coming over him as he was finally able to see her. He could tell she was ready for him, but he couldn't pass up an opportunity. They didn't often get a decent amount of time alone together. So he had to take this chance to taste her again. To familiarize himself with her sweet honey once more.

Rita gasped as she felt his tongue on her sensitive folds. She couldn't help herself from running a hand over his head, trying to control herself as he attacked her heat. Soon enough, she felt that tight coil, her breathing erratic, and she shook her head, begging him.

"No, please," she moaned out. "I need you, Randy."

His teeth pulled at the sensitive nub again, a grin on his face as he raised himself on his knees. He hovered over her, taking in the way her ample breasts spilled out from the fabric that attempted to hold them. His muscled arms reached for them, feeling them through the satin cloth. So soft and giving, he couldn't have asked for a better handful.

He pulled down a strap of the bra, exposing a squeezable mound. Guiding himself with his other hand, he found her waiting opening, the heat of her making him lose his head. He lowered his mouth to the peaked nipple, flicking his tongue around it before sucking it into his mouth. Satisfied with how her eyelids became heavy, he plunged into her, his lips leaving her flesh for a second as he was consumed by her.

Brought back to his senses by her legs wrapping around his waist, he slowly eased himself out of her body, only to slam into her. Rita tossed her head back, crying out at the sensations he was giving her. His name seeping past her lips was the best thing in the world to him. Knowing that it was him that gave her pleasure, that it was his cock that was being squeezed by her warm, giving flesh right now... He concentrated on the connection between them, coaxing her body to let go around him. Her release carried out his, and feeling her body tremble underneath him willed him to do it all over again.

Randy lifted her body close to his, shifting their position. His cock twitched, still inside of her, as her soft hands ran over his muscular chest.

"What are you doing, Randy?" she asked, her hazy eyes settling on his features. She didn't have to be able to see him in the darkness to know the look on his face.

He could tell she was losing herself again in the sensation of him thrusting into her. He slowed down his pace, bringing a hand of hers up to his mouth. "I'm loving you."

Her eyes fluttered open as she leaned her head down. A kiss planted on her lips nearly made her forget what she was going to say. Shaking her head, she muttered through. "You feel threatened."

He pulled on her thighs to make her sit down on him more. Ignoring the moan of ecstasy that slipped from her, he clamped his hands over her hips. She fought against him suppressing her movements, though the way he tightened his grip on her made her look at him. She brushed her lips over his, silently pleading for him to take her.

He could feel Rita tense around him. She didn't have to say anything to him for him to know exactly what she needed. He laced their fingers together, their hands becoming one in the darkness. When her body started to jerk, and his name found its way past her lips again, he knew thoughts were once more erased from her mind. But he still refused to let her go. He wrapped a strong arm around her waist, holding her to his chest.

"Do I? When I'm the only one who has you?" He didn't stop his relentless thrusting in her, even when she began crying out. She clenched around him, tightening as the third release washed over her. The cloth of the bra that was half pulled away from her scratched at his chest as she worked his cock. He took pleasure in knowing that she wanted to satisfy him just as much as he had her.

Rita looked down, away from his blue gaze. She felt him kiss her hand, his lips running over her fingers. He loved her. She knew it. And that's what troubled her.

"Look at me," he said to her. When she refused, he placed his hands on either side of her head, drawing her attention straight into his eyes. "Let me have you, Ri."

She was completely at his disposal, and had been since the moment they became friends. That's all they were. That's all they could ever be. But she couldn't deny her feelings for him. They were real, and they were true. So, she allowed him to take her body. To use it however he wanted.

After all, that's exactly what she did to him.


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N:** The club name in the first chapter - I don't know if that's a real club or not. I just thought the name sounded good, and I needed something to fit in with my idea for the sign. Also, I'll be making some corrections soon. Enjoy this next chapter, and thank you for reading._

The smoothness of a warm metal ring brushed her face. Opening her eyes, she saw Randy's hand hanging over the side of her head. The sapphire stones of her own ring were pressed into the skin of her stomach. She lay face down, her head barely on a pillow, and Randy's overbearing presence making itself known as his leg and arm were draped over her. Though the sheets over her were neatly spread out, Randy had his half tangled up. She managed to push his limbs off her, flinging the sheet that covered her.

"Where are you going?" he grumbled, feeling her stir in the bed.

"Potty," she simply said before making her way to the bathroom.

He chuckled. "Potty," he repeated. "Like we're kids again."

It was quiet for a minute before Randy heard the toilet flush and then the faucet to the sink turn on.

"Again?" she mocked, emerging from the bathroom. She walked around the bed, picking up their clothing from the previous night. "My dear Randal, you must first grow out of something before you can visit it once more."

He waited for her to approach the side of the bed he lay on, watching for a second as she continued picking up items. With her back turned to him, his arms shot out, grabbing her and pulling her back into bed with him. The surprised laughter from her making him glad that she decided to stay with him.

"Okay, Jacqueline," Randy said sarcastically.

"You!" she gasped out. "You know I dislike my first name." She slapped at his arms, slipping out of his hold.

"I don't know why. It's pretty."

"It's too long," she argued. She folded their clothes neatly.

"Like Rita sounded any better?" He watched her look around after she placed his clothes back into his suit case. "You left your bags in the room you have with Trin, remember?"

She sighed out, realizing that she hadn't gone back to the room. "Totally thought we grabbed them. I'll just place my stuff with yours for now."

Randy swung his legs over the edge of the bed, his thoughts going back to last night. He and Rita spent nearly all their free time together. For the past couple of years, them waking up together was nothing new. Many nights, they would spend hours making love to each other. Giving themselves to the other, and greedily taking just as much as they gave away. But for months now, it wasn't enough for Randy. For months, he desired much more from her.

"I'm going go back and take a shower. I have a shoot around noon, and then some radio interviews," she told him as she slid back into the dress she wore the night before. "Zip me up?"

Randy nodded, standing to pull the delicate zipper up. He sank his fingers into her raven hair, pressed his lips to the back of her neck, and lost himself momentarily in her scent. A spicy vanilla and cinnamon filled his senses.

"You smell delicious." He barely let his hold on her loose as she faced him. "Promise me you'll call me after your radio time?"

Rita tilted her head, smiling at the innocence in his voice. "Of course I'll call you. You promised me that you'd take me out to dinner after the show."

"Damn," he said lightly. "I thought you'd forget about that after last night."

"And not get a free meal?" she teased. "No way, stud." She pulled away from his grasp, a little surprised at just how tight he was holding her. _Don't do this to yourself, Randy._ But she brushed it off. "I'll see you later tonight."

"""""

"A new line?" Rita asked as she adjusted herself in her chair. "But I thought I was supposed to get the title right after Randy won?"

"Well," Vince said, looking up at the young woman. "Would you rather win at the pay-per-view after? Or would you rather be placed in a storyline?"

"I'd rather be in a storyline," she replied. "But I don't get it. Wasn't I supposed to feud with Nattie?"

"It could go either way right about now," Stephanie said as she glanced down at some papers. "You and Natalya have had some wonderful matches."

"Thanks," Rita smiled, taking in the compliment.

Vince folded his hands together, leaning back in the leather chair. "So, what will it be, Miss Cossa?"

Rita froze for a moment, not really believing she would be allowed this much creative freedom with her character. Slowly but surely she nodded her head. "What's the storyline?"

"""""

"The Shield?" Randy asked her in disbelief. "Why did they change it? We were supposed to have our titles together again. What the fuck sense does it make if they place you with them?"

"It's a revamp, Randy." She looked down at her small carton of cookie dough ice cream. "I'll be changing my look, my attitude. Basically everything."

"So, what am I supposed to do?"

She scooped up some ice cream, ignoring the way he seemed to dislike the change to come. "What do you mean, what are you supposed to do? You'll be in your own match with John. I had nothing to do with what you're doing. Just mine."

"They just call you in a meeting and ask you to completely redo everything you are? Ri, please tell me you fought them on this."

"No, I didn't fight them. They asked me."

"They asked you?"

"I made the decision, and I'm not backing down."

Randy sat motionless on the chair on the other side of the kitchen counter. His jaw jut out in doubt, and the look in his eyes told her everything she needed to know. He hated her choice. But that was okay with her. She didn't need him to agree with it, although it would have been nice for him to show a tiny bit of excitement towards the idea. And she was unnerved by the way he sat so still. She placed down the carton with an exasperated sigh.

"Say something?"

He barely shifted his eyes to her. "I'm happy for you."

"I didn't say lie to me."

"No, really," he said, his body relaxing some. "I'm glad that you'll have this opportunity. It's not that often that someone as young as you would achieve so much in the time you've been here."

"I've been here for three years."

"Exactly," he said approaching her, trying his best to reassure her that he wanted to support her. "It took them years to trust I could do much of anything. For years, I was just a good looking, baby-faced statue with a multitude of abilities that were yet to be showcased."

"Keep stroking it, and it might go off," she joked, earning a genuine smile from him.

"What I'm saying, Ri, is that you have so much to offer, and even if it means I won't have my best friend standing next to me in another title reign, I'd much rather you be happy where you want to be."

He wrapped his arms around Rita, the passion he had for her instantly coming alive again. He was happy for her, that was no lie. What he wasn't content with was the fact that she would be around Ambrose. Randy didn't trust the guy, and knew he'd have to pay Rita more mind when she was around Ambrose.

"""""

Rita. Her name sounded in his mind over and over again. The vision of her played in his mind. He could see her standing in front of him. Long, jet black hair and green eyes that popped through her dark features. He had seen some beautiful women in his lifetime. Hell, he had slept with some gorgeous women. But no one had quite captured him like she did.

Soon, she would enter the training facility in preparation of her title match. From what he was told, she would be joining him, as well as Rollins and Reigns. She was to be part of The Shield. For how long, he wasn't sure. He wasn't even sure what her purpose would be. But he supposed with the four of them each holding a title, they would truly be a force to be reckoned with.

By veteran standards, they were all new to this. He knew that he wasn't much older than she was, but her abilities and credentials hugely outnumbered those of her fellow divas. He knew she was in the independent scene. That she had gone to Mexico. She had traveled to Japan. He knew that her appetite for the wrestling business was just as massive as the next guy.

Although he had seen her work, he was hesitant to think that she could do this. He had to see it for himself. He stood around, talking a bit with Regal, going over move sets and coming up with ideas. Though Regal wasn't there to train him today, talking with the man never ceased to amaze him.

"There she is," Regal said, stepping out of the ring. He took her extended hand into his, giving her a polite kiss on the cheek. "Ambrose here was just shooting some ideas out for your match that's coming up."

"Match?" she questioned then proceeded to follow Regal around the ring. "With who?" She twisted her hair into a tight bun, her glance falling on Ambrose. She saw Regal point from beside her.

"Him, my dear."

"Moxley."

His name coming from her mouth made his ears perk up. An involuntary smirk crossed his lips at the nickname. "I haven't been called that since I signed here."

"Well, aren't you glad I remembered it then."

"Right," Regal said, oblivious to the tension between the two. "Why don't we test out some spots now."

"Wait a minute," Ambrose said, pulling himself onto the ring's apron. "I wasn't told about this match."

"Neither was I," Rita put in. "What's it to you, Mox? Can't deal with a woman beating you?"

"Beat me?" he scoffed. "You think you could beat me? Who said you were going to win anyway?"

"Jon," Regal said, a smirk on his face. "She is scheduled to win."

Ambrose's face twisted into disgust. "What?"

"It's going to be her entrance into The Shield."

"How is that an entrance? She comes in, kicks my ass, and we're just supposed to say, 'Oh, okay, we're fine with that,' Regal, are you kidding me?"

"Jon, Jon, calm down," Regal said, approached the younger man by the ropes. "It's going to be a series of challenges issued from what I was told."

"Series, my ass! I'm not doing it." He jumped off the apron, folding his arms over his chest.

Rita leaned into the ropes, angered by his blatant dismissal of her skills. "What the fuck's your problem, Mox? You wanted to play hero a couple of nights ago, but now that they're making you do your fucking job, it's a problem?"

"Miss Cossa," Regal said, placing an arm on her shoulder. "Don't let him rile you up."

Had it been anyone else, Rita would have reared back her fist and landed a good one on Regal's face. Instead, she backed away from the ropes, pacing in the middle of the ring.

"Playing hero, huh?" Regal commented after a moment's thought. "That might be a better idea. I'll bring it up to Stephanie and Paul."

Rita was too flustered over Ambrose to even care what Regal was going on about. She was even more irritated with him when he spoke again.

"What are we going to do now?" Ambrose asked, making a point to ignore the vixen in the ring.

Regal smiled at him. "You will be leaving." Then he looked over to Rita. "You're going to have the day off now, thanks to him."

She couldn't help her eyes rolling. "Great. Thank you for today then."

"You're very welcome, sweetie." He sat on the middle rope, allowing her to exit the ring, then called for another trainee. "Ah, wonderful rookies."

Rita heard him begin talking to the new trainees as she left the area.

"Hey!" his deep voice called out. "Hey, Rita!"

Turning around, she saw him walking towards her, a hand held out. "What?"

"I didn't mean for it to come across like that – "

"Like what? Besides you basically demeaning all the hard work I've done to get where I am. All the shit I had to put up with. I thought you of all people would understand that it wasn't easy to get through what we did."

"I wasn't demeaning you, sweetheart."

"Call me sweetheart again, and they'll be looking for another Dean Ambrose." Her emerald orbs flickered with anger. He knew he shouldn't push her, but he couldn't help himself. He could tell that her bite would be worse than her bark.

He held up both hands. "Whoa there, honey. I just wanted to apologize – "

Rita didn't allow him to finish. She turned on her heels, grabbed her bag, and exited the building. She didn't even care that he followed her out to her car until he placed a hand on the car door, preventing her from opening it.

"You've got five fucking seconds to back away from my car before I kick those pretty little blue eyes to the back of your skull."

He grinned, wanting to bait her more. "Well," he huffed out. "I think you're pretty too."

She faced him, the anger on her face disappearing. She looked truly confused now. "What's your problem, Jon? I didn't do a damn thing to you."

"No, not to me, you did not," he agreed, nodding his head.

"Okay, so you don't want to lose to me. Understandable. I'm sure a lot of men with inferiority complexes wouldn't want to lose to a woman."

"Damn, burn me some more, baby."

"But you know just as well as I do that I'm damn good at what I do."

"Of course I know that. I've seen your matches. Some of the best I've ever seen."

"So what's the real problem here?"

He studied her face. She was too beautiful for her own good. If he didn't know any better, he would have told her straight out that she slept her way to the top. But even he couldn't bring himself to lie like that. What was his problem with her again?

"Nothing," he said, backing away from her. His face fell flat, his eyes looked down the pavement.

Rita sighed as he walked away. As if Randy's words ringing in her mind didn't confuse her enough... Now she had to deal with this. There was no way that she could be in a storyline with Ambrose if they didn't get along. The chemistry would be all screwed up.

What was his problem anyway? She couldn't think of one thing she'd ever done to the man as she drove away from the performance center. She wasn't mean to him. She wasn't nice to him. She wasn't anything to him. They barely knew each other, and they had only met once before prior to them being signed to the WWE. He was signed to the promotion that ran out of her hometown.

She exhaled another deep breath, sliding on her sunglasses. She couldn't think of this right now. She had more important things to worry about, like her upcoming title match. Jon Moxley, or Dean Ambrose – whatever he went by these days – wouldn't ruffle her feathers. That was his forte. Irking people. Well, he wouldn't win that match with her, for sure.

"""""

Randy waited for her to arrive at the arena. He was already dressed in his wrestling gear, but Rita was yet to show up. They were to have a tag team match tonight, and Randy knew that this was probably going to be the last match they had together for quite a while. She was scheduled to win the women's title at the pay-per-view this Sunday, and then she would be a Shield member. The idea of her joining them didn't quite settle with him.

When he heard the door to his locker room open, he was relieved to see that it was the person on his mind.

"Why are you so late?"

Rita placed her bag down with a thud, sinking into the leather couch. Placing her hand over her forehead, she spoke in a quiet tone.

"Just have a headache," she told him.

"So that makes you late?" His eyebrows shot up at her explanation.

She roughly grabbed up her bag, opening it and taking out her ring gear. "I'd like to not be interviewed right now. I've had enough of that for one day."

Randy remained quiet as she changed into her gear. Something was annoying her. A knock on the door pulled his thoughts away from her as he went to open it.

"Rita here?" the deep voice said. "I wanna talk to her about our match."

Rita's head popped up, knowing exactly who it was. She stood, adjusting her elbow pad, and walked up behind Randy's broad shoulders. "That match was canceled, thanks to you."

"Something like that," he said, tilting his head. "But I just talked to creative."

Rita pushed past Randy, pressing a hand to his chest. "I'll be back before our match," she whispered. She followed Ambrose down the hall, well aware that Randy was still watching them as they walked. Once they rounded a corner, he turned to face her.

"You're going to join us the following RAW."

She looked up at him, squinted eyes and pursed lips. Like she didn't already figure that. "Is that all?" she sarcastically questioned. "Thank you for your amazing revelations on my career path, Moxley. How could I have made it this far without you?"

She turned to walk away, but his hand taking a hold of her wrist stopped her. His skin was hot, feeling like it was burning itself into her own. "That's not all," he said. "We were informed of your change."

Rita looked up at him expectantly. "And?"

"And I can't wait to see it."

Her shoulders slumped, arms crossing under her chest. "You do know you're wasting my time, right?"

He stepped aside, hand held out. "Can't wait for you to be my partner."

She started walking around him. "It won't be just you," she said, surprised that he said nothing else as she walked away from him. Entering the locker room again, she saw that Randy was sitting on the couch, waiting for her.

"I don't like him," Randy stated flatly.

Shaking her head, she had to laugh. "You're kind of cute when you're jealous."

"I'm serious, Rita." He scooted himself to sit on the edge of the couch. "He's got his eyes on you."

She sat next to him, a leg folded underneath her. "And what's wrong with that? Young, unwed ladies are expected to have suitors trying to grab their attention."

Randy's gaze turned to her, something burning so fierce in his eyes that it almost scared her. He didn't say anything, his stare eventually turning from her to look at the concrete floor.

"What's it to you, anyway?" she asked, not particularly wanting the answer. "I don't say anything when you grab up a girl, or when you go back to your wife."

"_Ex-_wife, Ri," he said sharply. "Our divorce was finalized months ago."

"Oh, and that makes it better, right?" She stood, becoming increasingly aggravated by him. How dare he? She shoved her street clothes into her bag and zipped it up. "When you were with me for nearly three years while you were still married."

Randy looked at her incredulously. "Why are you even bringing that up?"

"You did!" Throwing her bag into a locker, she slammed it shut. "Forget it. I'll be around."

"Wait, where are you going?" He stood, reaching her before she was able to get to the door.

When his hand grabbed her arm, gently pulling her to him, she felt like she could have punched him in his head. Instead, she turned to look at him, softening her words a bit. "Don't worry about it."

Randy lowered his head to her chest, placing gentle kisses along her neckline. He wanted to rip off her ring attire and have his way with her right in the locker room. But he settled for taking comfort in her sweet scent. He knew she was bothered by something, and he had a mild idea of what it was. That Ambrose. The guy thought he was slick. Well, he certainly wouldn't come between the love that Randy had for Rita. It wasn't possible to separate them.

"I wanted to go talk to Steph about my change," she finally said, unable to bark her words at him like she wanted to. "I sincerely can't wait to dump this crappy outfit."

He held her at arm's length, examining the white tights and the white halter top. Both pieces had a fuchsia scroll design embellished onto them; One embellishment being on her left leg of the tights, and the other being brought up to the right side of her top. He scrunched his nose, confused almost.

"What's wrong with it? You designed it yourself."

"It's old. Even with the multiple colors, it's getting plain. I've had the same design since I started here. Don't you think it's time for something more?"

_If only you knew._ "Yeah, definitely." He thought he'd have to literally bite down on his tongue to stop himself from saying something more. But he was able to shake those notions out of his head. For now. "Want me to come with you?"

"Only if you want to." She turned, opening the locker room door. Randy felt like she was already slipping away. Like she had already left him. Though, he didn't know if that were actually possible. Someone had to actually _be_ in a relationship in order to walk away from it. Still, he didn't like the feeling he had from all this. It was not going to turn out how he wanted it to.


	3. Chapter 3

Rita's leather bag landed on the wooden table top, and she pulled out her phone to occupy herself until the meeting started. One of the last meetings she'd have to attend before the upcoming pay-per-view, TLC. It wasn't until an extremely excited Natalya came into the conference room did she place her phone back into her bag.

"Oh my goodness," Natalya said, taking the seat next to Rita. "You're going to be so happy to hear this."

"What?" Rita asked, her interest peaked.

Natalya shook her head. "I can't even. You'll just have to wait for Stephanie to tell."

Before Rita could inquire any further, a tall Samoan entered the room, his long, dark hair neatly pulled back into a ponytail. He was accompanied by the hybrid-hair superstar of Seth Rollins, and much to Rita's dismay, Ambrose followed close behind. The excitement that had stirred up in her leveled out, annoyance quickly overpowering it. Especially when Ambrose saw fit to seat himself beside her. His wide smile, those dimples, and his overall resemblance to a Cabbage Patch Kid didn't help any. She hated those dolls.

"Hey, Nattie!" Ambrose grinned out way too happily. He waved at her on the other side of Rita.

"Hey, Jon!" she replied just as cheerfully. Rita lost all hope in Natalya as she was oblivious to the irksomeness of Ambrose. Natalya was too much of a ball of sunshine sometimes.

Rita was somewhat relieved when Stephanie approached the large oval table and began to speak about the event. Rita blocked out more of it than she intended to, her ears only perking up when she heard her name.

"And for the women's title," Stephanie said, looking down at a paper. "Rita, we couldn't get a hold of you to tell you, but it will be a triple threat. And not just any triple threat." She paused a moment for a dramatic effect, taking in Rita's expression before continuing. "It will be a tables match."

Natalya's smiled widened. Rita then put the pieces together, asking, "Me, April, and Nattie?"

"You got it," Stephanie confirmed with a smile of her own. "I think you three will nail it completely, and it ties in nicely from the way your line with AJ has been going. Now, for your story with The Shield. That will begin the following RAW, and you'll also be displaying your new look."

Ambrose cleared his throat. "What will that be, Steph?" he asked casually.

Rita sucked in her cheeks a tiny bit, knowing Stephanie wouldn't reveal the alteration. The nerve of him asking irked her nonetheless. But she refrained from glaring at him as Stephanie gave him answer.

"That's a total surprise, and one you'll see with everyone else when the time comes."

She shot Rita a knowing look. Rita had also befriended Stephanie over the years, the two becoming closer than either one expected. Rita had actually had the pleasure of being around Stephanie outside of the business, seeing a side to the McMahon that was rather unknown to most others around them. Rita may have also confided in Stephanie about the disgruntled nature she had towards Ambrose, telling her about the unsuccessful session that Regal had placed a week or so back. She hadn't meant to complain though. She only wanted to voice her thoughts.

The talk of the meeting carried over to the other titles being defended. Though Randy wasn't there as he was on a small promotion tour, Cena was there listening to everything. Rita had caught John looking her way once or twice during the discussion of Ambrose's title defend. She didn't know why. That match had nothing to do with her. She wasn't to be involved with them until the RAW directly after. But when the meeting was finally dismissed, she wasn't surprised when Cena caught up with her in the hallways.

"So," he drawled out, looking anywhere but at her. "You happy?"

"About my match? Yes." They stood in front of the elevator, waiting for it to arrive to carry them to the lobby, and she could tell that Cena was absolutely itching to say something else. "Spill it, Felix."

He feigned a wince as the elevator chimed and they stepped inside. "I know you can be sweet when you want to be, so I'll let that go." He looked up at the decreasing red numbers. "Anyway, I just wanted to tell you that Nicole and myself plan to go out Saturday night, and we were wondering if you and Randy would like to come along."

Rita looked at him. "What did Randy say?"

John's head dropped, a slight laugh to his tone. "He said you'd ask me that," he said, pausing for a moment as the chime signaled their arrival to the lobby. Placing a hand over the seam of the open elevator doors, he waited for her to step out first. "And then he told me to tell you that he wanted you to go."

"Well, shit. Sure, why not?" She stopped short of the entrance doors. "Not like I'd have anything better to do. Might as well spend it with my three best friends."

John parted his lips to say more, but the appearance of Ambrose brought their conversation to a halt.

"Hey, toots," Ambrose said, walking behind Rita. His hand grazed her backside, making her jump forward closer to John. Ambrose casually walked away, Rollins and Reigns not paying a bit of attention on either side of him.

"What an ass," Rita said in short.

John couldn't hide the laugh. "Well, that's what he was aiming for."

Rita turned her green eyes to him. "You're an ass!" She swatted at his muscular arm.

"""""

Rita listened carefully as the lock to the hotel room door clicked and then beeped, signaling Randy coming back into the room. He tossed down a small plastic bag onto the bed and slid out of his leather jacket.

"Change of plans," he said, stepping into the bathroom across from where she stood in front of the mirror perched behind the dresser. He changed out of his shirt and into a black dress shirt.

"What?" She finished swiping on some mascara before turning to him.

"There's a company party tonight for TLC, and apparently we have to go," he informed her.

"Wait, have to go? We weren't told that there was any party. We had plans tonight."

"Well, John and Nicole will be going to that instead as well. So, I guess we can still have dinner together, but at the event."

Rita rolled her eyes, wanting to escape the hectic atmosphere of the pay-per-view. Her nerves were rattled enough with the magnitude of the match she was involved in. Just a single, nice night away is all she wanted. Turning back to her reflection in the mirror, she finished applying her makeup.

"You ready yet?" Randy asked her as he adjusted the the cuffs on his shirt, rolling them up to his elbow.

"I was waiting for you to come back, so don't rush me." Zipping up her makeup items, she tossed the bag into her luggage. "What's in there anyway?" Her eyes looked over the grayish bag that was tossed on the bed.

"Don't you worry about it," he told her. He grabbed the crumpled bag and placed it inside his opened suitcase. "It's a surprise."

"If I wasn't so pissed about having to go to this shit, I'd fight about it more." She focused her attention on pulling her dress neatly on her chest. Not missing the way Randy's eyes fell on her dress, she smiled, waiting. "Say it. You're going to anyway."

He looked at her, flustered. "Why's it so low?"

"It's not low," she replied as she pulled the top of the dress up.

"Bullshit it's not," he said, walking over to her and hooking his finger under the glittering fabric. "I can see half of your tits."

"Oh stop it," she said as she slapped her hands away. "I'm not changing, so it's this dress or I'm not going."

He blew out a breath, unhappy about her wardrobe choice. She looked gorgeous, her figure filling out the glittery red dress. She completed the look with solid red pumps and a garnet ring. He knew that ring. He had bought that ring for her. She refused to tell him that she wanted it, but it only took one look at her face. One look, and he knew that it would make her happy.

"Put your gold bracelet on."

Rita looked up at him, question in her eyes. "Why?"

He didn't say anything. He simply moved over to where a small bit of her jewelry was stored in a bag next to her makeup bag. Pulling out the rose gold bracelet, he demanded her wrist and clasped it on. "Looks good."

She smirked, aligning the bracelet to hang loose on her arm. They packed away their belongings, preparing to leave the hotel room on their quest to the pay-per-view party. Rita sat uncomfortably in the passenger seat, her legs restless as they approached the restaurant and club. Randy parked, making a quick step to open her door before she could, extending a hand for her to take.

"You're acting like this is a date instead of a business thing," she told him as she looked up at him.

"Date or not, I can't be a gentleman?"

She didn't respond. She just simply took his waiting hand, and they made their way into the building. Immediately, Rita was pulled into a hug. Randy looked on as she received her welcome, and he tried to concentrate on his reception. Thankfully, he spotted Cena waving at him through the crowd, Nicole sitting next to him, and Randy took Rita's hand in his. She was pulled away from her friends, smiling brightly as they made their way towards the table John and Nicole were at.

"Great table in the back, Cena," Rita said as she heavily sat down in the leather booth with a sigh.

Nicole placed her hand on Rita's, bringing her attention to see what she was pointing at. "Look," she said, her finger still lingering in the air. "Ambrose is here."

Rita looked, noticing that the other two were there as well. "Joe and Colby are here too."

The deflated look on Randy's face was replaced with a smirk. "It's a business dinner, Nicole. They're all going to be here."

"After what he did, I should go over there and beat his ass. Give him a real reason to hate me," Rita quietly commented. She looked down at the clothed table, ignoring the way Randy's head snapped towards her.

"What did he do?" Cena asked, realizing that she had become quiescent on the matter. He looked at Randy for a silent answer, but Randy looked just as confused. After a moment, John shrugged, utterly lost at to what to say.

But Rita's eye kept wondering back to Ambrose. The people surrounding him seemed to blur, and she could only focus on him. She had known him from more than a few years ago, when they both worked for CZW. Young, willing, and completely focused on moving forward with their careers, neither one of them really noticed each other. At least, she didn't notice him that much on a personal level. Watching his matches on the other hand... The most entertaining thing she'd ever seen. His promos were second to none, and she remembered herself being captivated by the character.

Well, what she thought was a character. She was slowly learning that the brutal jackass that was known to the indies fans as being Jon Moxley was nearly identical to the real man. Still, she wouldn't pass judgment on him. She didn't rightfully know him. Besides, all her concentration was on the man sitting next to her. How she longed for a genuine relationship with him. Knowing that she would probably never get one.

Randy's deep voice brought her attention back to the table. His laugh rang out in her ears, and she wrapped the sound around her senses. Her best bet from taking her thoughts away from Ambrose would be to lose herself in Randy. It worked for everything else. It couldn't fail her now.

Her luck was challenged though as Ambrose strolled his way to the table the four of them sat at. Randy swallowed hard, his eyes glaring at Ambrose sideways.

"Hey, how you doing, man?" Cena said to Ambrose, extending his hand. Ambrose shook it, not wanting to be rude, his eyes averting quickly back to Rita.

"I just wanted to tell you, Rita," he said, not bothering to acknowledge anything else, "that tomorrow morning, we have a meeting with Paul."

Rita looked at him without tilting up her head. "You have a tendency to tell me things that I already know, don't you?"

A grin crossed his face. "Maybe," she said shortly. "But there's one thing I know that you don't right now."

Before she could shift her head to get a better look at his expression, he walked away, soon disappearing back into the crowd of people. Placing his elbows on the table and his hands pressing together, Randy looked at Rita.

"What's he talking about?" he questioned.

Rita barely looked at him before her eyes settled down to her lap. "I have no idea."

"""""

Their night was relatively uneventful. Besides Ambrose approaching their table, nothing else caught her attention. Randy, however, seemed to be very interested in her. He didn't even care that she caught him looking at her a handful of times, and by the time they arrived back to their hotel room later that night, it had annoyed her enough.

"Is there a reason why you've been staring at me all night?" she asked as she sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Not all night," he said as he unbuckled his pants. "Just after Ambrose couldn't keep his eyes off you."

She scoffed. "He was barely around us tonight. So please, spare me the jealousy." She shuffled her way towards her bag, pulling out a tank top to sleep in.

"No jealousy here. Just curiosity."

Rita was out of her dress and heels before he could turn to face her. "About what?"

"What he did to you? Why he's so interested in you? Perhaps even why they're putting you with him when you clearly don't want to be."

"Stop right there, Randy." She pulled the tank top over her head and quickly slid underneath the comforter. "First, he's not interested in me. He just loves to fucking irritate me constantly. And second, I'm not being put with him. I'm being put in a group. There's two other guys there, you know."

"Yeah," Randy agreed as he slid in bed next to her. "That don't pay near as much attention to you as he does. I don't like it."

Rita didn't say anything else. There was no need to. Randy wouldn't listen to her. It wouldn't matter if she told him that she didn't know why Ambrose bothered her so. That she didn't know why he was apparently so interested in her. And honestly, she didn't care. About either men at the moment. She just wanted a decent night's sleep before her triple threat match.

Yet, sleep evaded her completely. Though tiredness crept over her even before they left the club, she couldn't shut her mind off. If it wasn't the man snoring beside her, it was the combat boot wearing wrestler that puzzled her. She wasn't at a total loss though. Surely, Ambrose had no interest in her. Any interest he would have would then surely been driven away because of Randy.

Her head involuntarily tilted to look at him. She cared for him, cared about him. It was love, they both knew. But he didn't want to give her what she needed in life. A stable relationship. A secure relationship. An exclusive one. He still ran around with whomever he wanted. While she... well, she was foolishly waiting for him to stop running around. She wasn't one to have a multitude of guys. She barely wanted to open up to one. But she knew that although Randy knew her better than anyone else ever had, she couldn't hold on to him anymore. She couldn't pretend she had something that just wasn't there.

"""""

Things were quiet, the only sounds behind her were the plastic wheels of her luggage rolling on the concrete ground. A daze was over her, and between not being able to get a good night's rest and the thought of what Ambrose would have to do in order for their storyline to kick off... It made her nervous. It's not that she minded being handled, especially since it wasn't going to be a bad way, but the thought of his hands on her. It made her stomach churn a bit.

To top everything off, put the cherry on the sundae, the icing on the cake... The match alone was twisting spirals in her mind. It had to be awesome. But she knew she could pull it off, and with two extraordinary women in the ring with her, she knew they couldn't fail. A tables match, and one for a Divas match at that, was an extraordinary opportunity. The fact that she would win was just the tip of the iceberg for her. She was prepared to put on one hell of a match, regardless of the outcome.

"Two fucking hours."

The gnarly voice startled her, nearly making her jump out of her skin. He stubbed out the cigarette he was puffing on, tossing it to the wayside.

"Two fucking hours," he repeated as he watched her hand fly to her chest. "I was waiting for you for _two fucking hours._"

Rita finally composed her thoughts, her shoulders visibly shaking. "For what? I don't need you to go anywhere with me."

He shook his head, looking down at his boots. "I just wanted to walk you like a gentleman."

Continuing walking into the arena entrance, she ignored him as he walked beside him. The ominous shadow he seemed to create over her was suffocating her, and by the time they reached the small conference room, air literally seemed to escape her lungs. She couldn't manage to take a deep breath as Paul's eyes settled on her. He gave her a smile before welcoming them.

"How do you feel about tonight, Rita?" Paul asked her after he spoke to Ambrose for a minute.

"I feel great," she smiled out. "Can't wait."

"Awesome," he said, looking over the schedule for the night. "Now, Jon, your match will happen before Rita's. What I want you to do is this."

Paul's voice seemed to trail off to Rita. She just wanted to get out of this room. Ambrose's presence affected her more than she wanted to admit. Highly relieved when Paul set them out on their way so they could prepare for their matches, she took care to quickly separate herself from Ambrose.

"""""

She saw the kick that Natalya wanted to deliver, bending backwards to avoid it. AJ's small frame came flying over her, using her as leverage to knock out Natalya. Rita fell to her knees in the middle of the ring, looking over her shoulder to see Natalya and AJ laid out.

Then, their music hit.

_Sierra. Hotel. India. Echo. Lima. Delta._

It blurred around in her mind as she instinctively knew the three men were casually making their way down from the crowd. A minute or so later, the three each took a side of the ring, save for the side the camera was affixed in front of. Rita carefully stood, well aware of the few tables that were in the ring. When she saw AJ roll off the apron and fall to the mat surrounding the ring, she also knew the match was about to end.

Natalya raised herself up to lean on her arms, crawling towards Rita slightly before Rita grabbed her by the head. Natalya quickly punched Rita in the stomach, making a run for the turnbuckle. But Rita caught her by the hair and pulled her down to the mat. Rita climbed the turnbuckle next to the announcer's table, getting a glance at Ambrose, her eyes connecting with his. Rollins was on the other side of her, in front of the announcer's table.

The way Ambrose's eyes looked into hers, the entire arena could have been empty, and she would have barely noticed. Though she found herself too distracted by him. Way more than what was scripted. The distraction proved to be effective though as she caught Natalya mid-move, managing to grab the Canadian diva's legs. She tried her best to brace Natalya for the fall through the table, which was proving to be a challenge all on its own. Its set up reached closer to the next turnbuckle.

Rollins seem to notice the concern on Rita's face as she made the dive, power-bombing Natalya through the table, cracking it in two. Just as Rita closed her eyes, she saw Rollins blow out a breath of relief, and he made her way towards her. As the bell rang signaling the end of the match and Rita the winner of the women's title, Rollins' gloved hands wrapped around her arm and leg, pulling her towards the apron.

Rita hardly heard Michael Cole going on at the commentator's table about her victory, his words going from excitement over the match to disbelief over the fact that she was being carried away. More than a little dazed, she realized that it was Reigns, and not Ambrose, that carried her up the ramp and back behind the curtain.


	4. Chapter 4

_**A/N:** Thank you to my reviewers Dorenda, Guest, and VolcomStoneBabe. You are all awesome, and I appreciate your time. This one is for you all. Enjoy!_

Ambrose watched her as she paced around behind the black curtain that led out to the ramp. She held a hand to the back of her head, her breathing still calming down, as she waited for Natalya to walk through the blackness. Finally, just as he thought he would have to drag her to the trainer's room himself, the pink-clad diva pushed her way through the curtain.

"Are you okay?" Rita asked her immediately. "The table was so far away, and I was so scared that I hurt you."

Natalya also clutched her neck, but otherwise looked completely fine. She waved a hand, dismissing Rita's concern. "Girl, I am as good as gold. You took more physicality in the match than I did." She placed a comforting arm around Rita's waist, bringing in her for a hug.

"My night would have been ruined if I had hurt you."

"This night can't possibly be ruined after that awesome match we just had," April's low voice said from behind Rita's and Natalya's embrace. The two separated, allowing the shorter of the three to join in. "If I had to hand pick any two people to have that kind of a match with, it would have been you two."

"Aw, thanks," Natalya said as April broke away from the two, being welcomed by a fresh white towel held out by Phil.

He looked from April to the other two women. "Awesome match, ladies."

Rita and Natalya smiled at him, giving him a thank you before making their way to the trainer's office. Rita sensed that Ambrose was following them, although he was doing so at a distance. The trainer had looked over her first, deeming her to be perfectly fine, before looking over Natalya. Wanting to leave Natalya in peace, she hugged her one last time before leaving the room. Ambrose was just outside of the door, leaning on the wall beside it.

"You're alright?" he simply asked as he trailed behind her. "I can see that bruise."

She felt rather than saw what sore spot he was talking about. It was on the side of her ribcage, more towards the back. "I must have hit it pretty hard," she told him as if he were a friend of ten years. "It's so hard for me to bruise. But they said it was fine."

"Good," he said as they approached the locker room she was in. He knew she thought it was possible to ignore him, but unbeknownst to Rita, he was already a few steps closer to his goal. His eyes were already on her now, and he would stop at nothing... He grabbed her arm just as she went to open the door. "Look, I don't normally do this, but would you like to go out for dinner?"

Rita looked at him, an eyebrow arched. "Don't normally do what? Act decent? I'd forgotten for a second that it was you."

He grinned, his lips pursed out. Oh, her moxie. It certainly played a big role in him wanting to pursue her. "Not tonight, eh? That's okay. I understand."

Her own lips twisted up in a slight smirk. "You really think I'd even agree?"

Bouncing on the heels of his combat boots, he let a tooth smile loose. "Not only do I think you're going to agree, I _know_ you will." He stepped up closer to her, his warm breath sending tingles down her spine. "But I understand it won't be tonight. You've got a busy day tomorrow." Backing away from her, he shrugged. "Tomorrow, you're joining us, baby."

Head tilting in question, she watched him walk away. She wanted to think Randy was right. Not because she really cared if Ambrose had any interest in her, but because that meant that perhaps Randy really did pay her any mind. It was more than just a jealousy thing over his best friend being snatched from him in a career line. And it was more than her spending more time with other people. Could it really be so that Randy could keep her all to himself?

She opened the locker room door, taking a minute to focus on the thought. She and Randy had been... an item for a few years now. She would like to think that he would have considered her in a more serious light well before anyone else stepped into the picture. Or _thought_ he could step into the picture. Ambrose certainly did seem to take interest in her, and she couldn't deny that anymore considering he had asked her out to dinner.

By the time she showered and changed, Randy's match was on. Settling down on the couch, she tried getting lost in his match, almost feeling every bump and hit each men took. Her mind kept floating to Ambrose though. She hadn't bothered watching his match. Certainly he suffered through some decent bumps as well, and she fought the urge to find him and ask him if he was okay. The fact that he was concerned about her well-being warmed her a bit.

Shaking Ambrose out of her mind for the duration of Cena's and Randy's match, she held her breath as Randy won. She headed to the curtain to wait for him.

"""""

Trinity and Ariane stood behind her, looking on as the hairdresser trimmed her hair. Closer and closer, shorter and shorter.

"Now see, when I do this, I just have them put it right back in," Trinity commented, looking on painfully. "You have such gorgeous hair, Rita."

Rita kept herself from laughing at the expression on Trinity's face. "It will be okay," she said. "Besides, I don't mind the change. It will be good."

"Mmm," Ariane mumbled, concentrating on another aspect of Rita's change. "You have your new gear, right? Them booty shorts looked so good on you."

"They are not booty shorts. Seriously, I have a behind that could almost rival Trin's. There's no way I'd have them put booty shorts on me. They're just regular black shorts."

"Well, maybe you could hike them up just a little bit," Ariane said. "Make that booty go pop!"

Trinity snorted out a laugh. "You so crazy."

The two ladies pulled away from the chair, allowing the hairdresser to complete her work. When the petite woman began speaking gently to her, holding a mirror behind her, she moved to get a good look around. A smile occupied her face as she ran her fingers through the smooth blackness of her hair. The sharp angles of the cut fit to frame her face, the shortness of the back complimenting the look. Any worry she had over no longer having her long hair was thrown out the window. She couldn't have been more happy with the finished product.

"""""

Rita arrived at the arena for Monday Night RAW already dressed in her new attire, and her newly acquired championship over her shoulder. With sweatpants and a zipped up hoodie thrown over her, she made her way to Sandra, the seamstress, for any final adjustments to the vest she would wear. She peeled off the hot material, explaining what she didn't particularly like about it. Sandra made the changes to the top of the vest, and as she waited for Rita to put it back on, a loud whistle echoed from behind the diva.

"Wow! Is that little miss Rita looking that good?" Ambrose made his presence known, his head rolling back on his neck. "Hot damn! I didn't know that one of us could look so good."

"Beat it, Moxley," Rita said, although it was in a rather joking manner. "We're on starting segment, and I can't be messing around with you right now." She pulled the zipper up, then clipped together the nylon belt that crossed her chest.

"Is it too tight?" Sandra asked, her eyes peering over her glasses as she saw that the buckle pulled.

"No," Rita replied, tugging on it a bit. "No, it's good. It feels secure." She jumped in place a bit, assuring herself that she didn't feel much jiggling. She laid down her hoodie on a table close to where Sandra was before taking off her sweatpants.

"Bounce some more for me," Ambrose said to her as she turned. She pushed him away, nearly tripping over her boots, as he laughed out. "You like it, honey."

"That you annoy me? No."

Ambrose followed her up to where the entrance through the crowd would start, Reigns and Rollins both already there. The four of them waited for their call that was to be announced in a few minutes.

"You look awesome," Rollins said with a smile. "You'll fit right in. I'm loving the hair."

"Thanks, darling," she smiled.

Ambrose then saw fit to reach up, his hand glossing over the side of her head. His fingers brushed away stray hairs from her face... right before she shoved him, surprising even herself as the distinct noise of a slap met his face. Reigns and Rollins stepped back, both seemingly expecting the response from Rita. Ambrose, however, was completely taken aback by her reaction. He nearly stumbled backwards from the abruptness of the smack.

"You don't put your hands on me," Rita told him, a manicured finger pointing in his face. "We're not on camera. You do not touch me." She turned away from him, placing her championship over her shoulder just as the call for the three men was made from a stagehand.

Ambrose shook off the slap, rubbing his cheek for a second before making his way into the crowd. Rita watched, more flustered than she would have liked, as the three walked down through the people, each with a title slung over their shoulders. She listened from a monitor placed to close beside where their entrance was, hearing as Stephanie was talking in the promo.

_"Don't stop that music!"_ she announced, the music picking up again. _"Because I'm going to introduce to you the latest addition to the security of the authority, and your new women's champion!"_

She heard Jerry the King Lawler's exclamation, wasting no time in stepping out. The stagehand was calling out after she started making her way down the slim walkway through the crowd. She heard Stephanie call out her stage name just as she reached the barrier.

_"Cherie Greene!"_

The response from the crowd was mixed one. Half booing for her joining The Shield, and half cheering her because they were her fans regardless. She felt someone's hand pat her on the shoulder as she tossed her title on mat outside the ring and made an effortless leap over the padded barrier. Swiftly picking her title up again, she circled the ring once before sliding into it under the bottom rope, and standing statuesque beside Rollins.

Stephanie approached her, holding a hand out to her before pulling her out to stand in front of the other three, continuing on with the promo. Though Rita's eyes continued looking forward, attempting to look every bit menacing as the three other Shield members did, she could feel the heat radiating from Ambrose's body. And it didn't help the man was standing behind her.

By the time the segment finished and they were able to take their leave up the ramp, she felt like she wanted to shower just to rinse his stare off her. For once, she was glad that she wasn't to have a match for the night. A nice warm bed and a good book to read sounded like a better idea at the moment. Slinging off the black vest, with all its heavy duty plastic parts ringing throughout her locker room as it hit the bench, she opted to shower before leaving. The feeling of sweat permeating down the cleavage of her bosom wasn't the best feeling.

Nor was it the best feeling that she realized she wasn't sweating because she was hot in that nylon vest. It was because she was nervous of Ambrose. He had made her absolutely nervous as she stood in that ring with him. Tense. Anxious. Uneasy. Every uncomfortable emotion she could think of, he produced for her. Shaking off the bad vibe, she began tugging the black tank top that she wore under the vest, when a figure standing before her startled her. Pushing the fabric back down over her stomach, she yelled out, doubled over in shock.

"Jesus, Jon! You want to give me a heart attack! What the fuck is your problem? How did you get in here?"

There appeared to be no expression on his face. His lips were in a thin line, his eyes dull, and his body language as plain as the tiled flooring they stood on. So, when his hand shot out to her, closing around her throat, she was a little more than stunned. Still, he showed no anger through his face. His body was now shaking with rage, and his hand gripped tightly around her flesh as he pushed her back into the painted brick wall.

"Did you really think I'd let you just hit me?" His voice was low and even as he spoke. "That I'd just let you fucking slap me around? I don't care, _darling_, if the board seems to think that you're the cream of the fucking crop right now. I won't abide by that kind of behavior." He pressed into her throat more to make his point. "Is that understood?"

He removed his hand, Rita taking in a deep breath as he looked at her. He was far from satisfied, not hearing a confirmatory answer from her. His arm raised to press against the top of her chest.

"I said, is that clear?" he asked her again.

She nodded, holding back a cough. Her fingers touched the skin that his hand had, and that's when she saw the emotions flood his face. Regret and being pissed off topped the list. What she couldn't tell was if he was still pissed off at her, or at himself. He said nothing else though as he backed away from her, leaving her in peace. Or in as much peace as she could be after being choked.

"""""

Randy noticed how quiet Rita was during their drive to the hotel. She could have fooled anyone else. She wasn't fooling him. There was no mistake about the way her shoulders slumped, her head hanging down, and the way she seemingly refused to talk. But he knew she wouldn't be comfortable talking about what she thinking about until they were alone in their room.

She had always opened up to him when he got her alone, away from the rest of the world. It amazed him how such a private person she was. Friends with nearly everyone they knew, yet none of them knew just how deep she could be. Everyone was completely unknowing about the best side of her. The one that laid in bed with him, relaxing and laughing at just about anything. She found joy in the simplest of things.

As they made their way up to their room, Randy knew he wouldn't get that side of her tonight. He wouldn't get the passionate, lovemaking side. The part of her that burned desire into him, arousing him in even the slightest of whispers. That part of her he had missed last night, giving up a precious night with her while he foolishly decided to party instead. Hell, he didn't even need Ambrose to come in between them; He was doing that much all on his own.

His eyes followed her as he slowly undressed for the night. She slouched onto the bed, taking a moment to collect her thoughts before pulling the jeans off her legs. She shook her head, lost in unspoken thoughts, as she laid down against the pillows. Randy decided he need to tread lightly, completely unaware of the thoughts that truly burdened her.

"Rita," his low voice rang out in the quietness of the hotel room. He laid in bed beside her, bringing warmth back into her body. She shook her head, placing a finger to his mouth.

"Don't," she whispered, the soreness of her throat making her aware that she couldn't talk where Randy could hear it. "Just lay with me."

His hand found a soothing pattern to rub on her back. Rita didn't say anything else. She didn't mention anything. Didn't signal to anything. She just simply tucked her head close to his chest, taking in his comforting scent.

"""""

As Rita dressed the next morning, fresh from the shower, she received several text messages. She casually checked them, seeing one was from Stephanie, and it asked if she could meet Stephanie in the small coffee bistro close to the hotel. Pausing a moment from running her brush through her shortened hair, she replied to the text, agreeing to meet. She would be by herself the rest of this morning anyway. Randy had taken off for an early flight to fulfill some champion duties. But she knew the deal. It didn't bother her.

It wasn't until she was scanning the room for anything that they might have left behind did she receive an onslaught of messages. Her phone vibrated uncontrollably, ultimately tipping itself off the desk, and dropping into the chair that was pushed under. It couldn't have been Randy. He wouldn't do that to her. He might have been attached to her, but he wasn't _that_ clingy. Picking up the phone, she scrolled through the list of text messages, all of them coming from a number she didn't know. There had to have been at least twenty of them, and they slowly ceased as she read the first few.

_I'm sorry._

Awkward, but the apology must have been for someone else. A wrong number she supposed. She deleted the thread of messages, and grabbed her bags to exit the room. On her way down in the elevator, she received another text.

_I didn't mean to hurt you._

Her mind filed through possibilities. This person obviously thought she was someone else. The only person who had recently hurt her didn't have her number. She brushed the thought from her mind. Approaching her rental car, she heard her phone ring off again, this time ignoring it as she placed her luggage in the trunk, and took off to meet with Stephanie.

"""""

Stephanie greeted her, standing up to hug her, offering her a seat across from her.

"I already ordered," Stephanie told her as she sat back down herself. "Two french vanilla coffees and a plate of french toast."

Rita smiled as she took sat down in a chair. "Don't know what you're sugaring me up for, Steph, but I'll be sweet for you any day."

"I hope you keep that smile on your face. Just think of this as a gift from me to you." Stephanie's face scrunched up, the curiosity behind the expression not totally lost to Rita.

They chatted lightly as their order arrived. A serious tone took over Stephanie's voice.

"What's this about?" Rita asked, looking over the small sheet of paper. Ideas were scribbled all over it.

"Well, we were maybe thinking that eventually, a romance line would happen."

"For me?"

"Mhm," Stephanie answered, wiggling her fingertips at the paper, urging Rita to read more. "It obviously can't be all of them – "

"Well, it _could,_" Rita put in quickly.

Stephanie couldn't help the smile on her face as she continued. "So, we were wondering who you thought was best." She studied Rita as she read the paper. The happiness seemed to drain from her face. "This will be way down the line, if it even happens at all. So please, take your time."

For reasons unknown, and unwanted, to Rita, Ambrose's name seemed to pop up more than the other two. She didn't want to see his name. She didn't want to hear it. And she certainly didn't want to see or hear him. Out of sight, out of mind. Just as if her phone could possibly read her mind, it sounded again, with new messages. She ignored it, handing the paper back to Stephanie.

"I'll give it some thought," Rita said quietly, trying her best to put a smile back on her face.

Ending their little breakfast get-together on a false sense of an upbeat spirit, she split from Stephanie at their cars. Rita chose to head to the next city as fast as she could. She could do without this little town for a bit. Having someone place their hands around her throat wasn't exactly the best thing she wanted to remember it for.

"""""

Ambrose watched from afar. He had some major damage control to do with Rita. He snapped, and he hadn't meant to. He really didn't want it to result in him losing whatever trust he could have earned from her. He would need that trust. Needed it to help him gain her respect and help him gain his ultimate goal. Realizing he was at a disadvantage now, he hung back some, hidden behind the bodies that separated them.

The only true saving grace he had yet, was the fact that Rollins was going to ask her if she wanted to ride with them. It would be easier, and cheaper for her, since they were grouped together anyway. They were presently at a car rental place, turning in their current vehicles for another cycle. Rita stood next to Rollins, keys to her rental in her hand. Her soft hand. Even with the sting of her slap, the one that had enraged him, still fresh in his mind, he couldn't help but wish she would touch him again.

She laughed at something Rollins said, Reigns turning around to join in on their conversation as he held up a new set of keys. Ambrose then took that as a sign to join them, slowly making his way up to them. By the time he stepped up to them, hands in the pockets of his jeans, Rita had already turned in her rental keys and was still laughing with the other two.

Then her sight settled on him and she became quiet.

"Ready to ride with us?" Rollins said, bringing her into a side hug.

"Are you guys sure it's okay? I don't want to make anyone uncomfortable." She shifted slightly under the arm of Rollins, feelings Ambrose's eyes on her. It made her even more uncomfortable than him having his hand crushed to her throat.

Despite all her senses screaming at her not to get in the car with them, she did. And she found herself seated in the back with Ambrose. Though she placed her smaller bag in the space between them, the seat in the SUV suddenly seemed too small for the two of them. Making a point not to look at Ambrose, she continued talking with Rollins, Reigns putting in his thought every few minutes as he concentrated on driving.

She just about forgot the foreboding aura sitting across the way from her. That is, until Rollins and Reigns starting talking about guy things, a topic that didn't really allow her to jump in. She was still hoping that she'd be able to though as she felt her phone vibrate silently in her leather bag. The smile that had been on her face as she listened to the hilarity that was Rollins and Reigns talking to each other slowly faded as she saw the text, again from the unknown number.

_I'll do anything to make it up to you._

Deleting the text, she moved to slip the phone back into her bag when it vibrated again.

_Please._

She took a dignified breath in, taking the time to respond to the text this time. A simple question mark was all she sent. Her mind could think of nothing else to send to a number she didn't know. She could ask questions, but the part of her that didn't want to end up looking like a fool argued against that. Her thumb just barely brushed over the send, the message transmitting to the recipient, when her ears perked to another phone beeping within the car. Her eyes barely shifted to see Ambrose picking up his phone. The breath caught in her throat as the realization dawned on her. No... No, it wasn't. It was just a coincidence. Pure coincidence.

But she looked on as his thumbs moved to send out another text. She felt her body jerk as her phone then vibrated again.

_Don't be mad. I asked for your number._

Her head snapped to look in his direction. This wasn't happening. Was he mad? And asked who? Her mind raked through possibilities. As far as she knew Trin and Nicole didn't really speak with Ambrose. And surely to everything on this planet, Randy wouldn't give Ambrose her number. Randy would have rather given him a punch to the mouth. Right now, she wanted to punch Ambrose in his mouth.

Instead she attempted to press herself as close to the door as she could. If they weren't speeding down the interstate, she very well may have flung open the door and barrel rolled out of the vehicle. But that wasn't an option right now. At least not a smart one. When she could see her breath on the window, it finally clicked to her, and any anxiety she had quickly turned into anger. A gift, she'd said... Well, she would be returning the favor pretty soon.


	5. Chapter 5

Paul was shocked to see the door to the office fly open. Rita stood there at the open door, knowing anger on her face, the two-tone leather bag that she toted around slinking down the crook of her elbow. He smiled at the raven-headed vixen, seemingly unaware of what his wife did.

"Hey, Rita," he said casually. "What can I do for you?"

She walked up towards the desk in the relatively barren makeshift venue office. Laying her bag down on the desk with a noise too loud to ignore, she looked straight into his eyes. "You can tell Steph that the next time she gives my number out, to make sure that she tells me, and that it's not to Jon Good!"

Paul couldn't even offer a rebuttal as Rita turned around and walked back out of the office. Sure he had looked confused, but that wasn't softening the fact that Stephanie had in fact given her number to Ambrose. It could have been anyone else – _anyone_ – and she wouldn't have cared nearly as much.

But now! Now, when they weren't around each other, Ambrose saw fit to message her every hour, on the hour. It was like getting an Ambrose news report. He'd tell her where he was and what he was doing, to which she didn't care to respond, and then he would ask how she was. She would ignore that half too. But ignoring him didn't deter him. The very next o'clock, he would repeat the process.

Maybe he was hoping that maybe, just maybe, she would give in. That she would think it was sweet and kind he was asking about her day. That she would reply, telling him the details of her everyday life. Maybe even ask him how he was doing... Well, she wasn't. How Ambrose was doing was the last thing on his mind. In fact, if they didn't need him, she might very well have asked Reigns to run him over in that unnecessarily large SUV they drove in. No doubt he would consider.

Now, Rollins and Reigns... Those two were true sweethearts.

"""""

"I'll see you later, guys," Rita told them as she began walking down the short distance to her room. "Thanks for dinner and movie."

Reigns and Rollings voiced their goodbyes pleasantly as they opened the door to their own room. Ambrose, however, remained quiet, staying back at bit as Rita departed. Not that Rita cared. But he hadn't said anything to her all night. Really, he hadn't spoken much at all, only a few things here or there to either Rollins or Reigns. Either the two men didn't notice or didn't care. She was betting on the latter.

Ambrose had even mildly kept his eyes off her, lowering his eye contact more so it wouldn't appear as though he were obviously staring a hole into her. Rita reached her room door, pushing the thoughts from the night out of her mind as she opened it, relieved that she would have a night to herself. Randy hadn't roomed with her in a number of days. Considering how they were going right now, she was also slightly eased by that idea. Even the nagging thought of him rolling around in sheets like he did with her hadn't bothered her... as much.

Sighing heavily, pushing even more thoughts out of her mind, she threw her bag on the bed, along with her leather jacket. Her shoes the next thing to depart from her body, she went to her luggage to grab a shirt to sleep in, and headed to the bathroom.

When she emerged several minutes later, the strong scent of cigarettes invaded her nostrils, and when she heard his deep voice from the doorway, she paused in cleaning up.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, attempting to push him back to the door.

He didn't budge a bit. "This is the hotel we're staying at."

"You know what I mean," she said, her eyes concentrating on him. "Get out."

Ambrose's hand made its way to her arm, guiding her back to the bed. "I just wanted to spend some time with you."

Rita pushed his hand off her, hating the way he made her skin feel. "As much as I enjoy being choked like any other bitch you deal with, I'm extremely tired and need to get some rest. I have some champion duties tomorrow."

"Is it all day?" he asked, his eyebrows perking up.

"Just morning." She crossed her arms under her chest. "Why?"

"You want to fly out to my place with me?"

Her arms slowly dropped to her sides, her head tilting in curiosity. For once, Ambrose felt a spark of hope. But then... then her face twisted into a displeased expression, and she pushed at him with even more force.

"Are you kidding me? Honestly, Moxley, did you crack your fucking head or something?" She shoved him once more. "Please see yourself out of my room."

The sadness in his eyes almost made her feel sorry for rejecting him and his offer. A near sense of dread came over her as she saw to her door being shut and locked for certain this time. By the time she made her way to the bed, she felt alone. She was alone. In a big, cold bed all by herself. What shook her with fear was the fact that she wasn't missing Randy, but instead, wondering what it would be like to share a bed with Ambrose.

"""""

With just another twenty minutes in her drive to the WWE headquarters, she steeled herself to confront Stephanie in person. It wasn't that she was intimidated, and she wasn't concerned over the fair well-being of her job. No, it was more of a concern over the fact she felt like she would lose a friend. And that much she knew she didn't want.

Before she knew it, she was stepping inside the office of Stephanie, taking in the familiar surroundings, unfortunately with a renewed sense of concern.

"What the fuck, Steph?" Rita dropped her bag to the desktop as Stephanie looked up from the papers in her hand. "I told you I didn't like that jackass, and you give him my number?"

Stephanie took a seat in the large leather chair behind her desk, motioning Rita to have a seat in one of the two chairs in front.

"Oh, now, I know you're mad," Stephanie soothed.

"Really?" Rita sarcastically questioned, refusing the offered seat. "What gave it away? My warm smile, or my friendly disposition?"

"Now, Rita, please look at it from the reason why I did it."

"And what would that be?" she said, angrily lowering herself in a chair and crossing a leg over the other. She kept her glance down, trying her best to curb her anger.

Stephanie held a little grin on her face. "Other than the fact that he all but poured his heart out to us about how he felt about you," she said, knowing it would get Rita's undivided attention as she saw Rita snap her head up. "I thought it would be a good idea, you know, so the two of you could connect some. I've seen that you're doing just fine with Joe and Colby, yet you've seemed to ignore Jon."

Rita's face shifted back into a neutral position. "Maybe I have."

"Well, maybe you shouldn't. He's sweet on you."

"Sweet? Steph, the man gives me hourly updates on himself."

Stephanie's lips curled into a smile. "You know, I couldn't stand Paul at first either." She twirled a pen around in her fingers as she talked. "That leather jacket he had, the jeans he wore, those boots that stomped around. I just thought he was completely disrespectful."

"Steph," Rita sighed out. "This is different. I won't have a fairytale ending."

"My point is that you don't even know him. Don't judge him by how he acts to everyone else. He may have a tough background," she continued, squeezing the pen slightly in her fist, "but he's got a soft heart, and that's not something he shows to everyone."

Rita tilted her head down, her eyes expression the near disgust she had. "And I should feel honored?" She quickly grabbed her bag, allowing it to drop to the floor. "Seriously, Steph, I just don't think that I'll talk to him much at all. He keeps his distance when I'm around. Joe tells me he's not like that when I'm not around."

Stephanie watched Rita slouch back into the chair. Defeated. The younger woman just looked defeated. Stephanie had an inkling that it may have been because of Orton. The two had not been around each other much since both becoming champions, and even an outsider looking in could tell that their relationship was suffering because of it. They had gone through ups and downs before, always bouncing back stronger than they were before.

But Stephanie remained quiet on the subject of their relationship. And she wasn't pushing Ambrose on Rita for any other reason but the one she'd already voiced. They were going to work together; They needed to get to know each other a little better.

"Jon told us that he was a little worried," she slowly told Rita after a few moments.

Rita's eyes became wide. Had he told them what he'd done? Sure, it was a bad thing, but she didn't want his career to be at risk. She could handle herself. She didn't need the company to fight her personal battles. "Over what?"

Stephanie appeared to be giving her words some thoughts. "He voiced to us that he doesn't want to hurt you. He said he thought you were fragile – "

"Fragile?" Rita interrupted, willing herself to stay seated in the chair.

" – and that he wanted to do some training with you."

"Him train me?" she asked, still shocked. "What is he talking about?"

Stephanie held up her hand. "He didn't say he wanted to train you," she said. "I guess it's a little more of trying to learn your style."

"Oh, he'll learn my style," Rita quickly said. "When I kick his ass outside of the ring."

"None of that, Rita," Stephanie tried to say sternly, but failed as a laugh broke through her words. "You know of the policies we have." She stood, walking around her desk as she held out a hand to Rita. "But I've got a meeting in about a half an hour."

Rita stood and took her hand. "I'll be heading back on the road in a bit."

"You're not going home?" she asked as they walked out of the office. "You're scheduled to for a couple of days." Noting the dismissive look on Rita's face she waved her free hand. "Anyway, we should go to lunch together soon, and I promise, no one will have your number beforehand."

"Gee, thanks," Rita laughed out herself, slinging her bag over her shoulder. "I'll see you at the next RAW." She walked backwards a few steps as she added one last thing. "And my vanilla coffee better have cinnamon on it next time."

Stephanie watched Rita walk away. She knew Rita wasn't clueless. And she knew that Rita could possibly benefit from having Ambrose as a close friend. Perhaps Rita's mind would steer away from the ideals she had with Randy. Maybe even find what she's been missing in her young life. Stephanie knew that it affected the young woman, even if she kept a tight lip on the topic. She was very private indeed, but that didn't mean she wasn't hurting for something more. Randy was just the senseless one to let her slip away.

"""""

Ambrose hadn't seen Rita in nearly a week. He'd cut back his on-the-hour messages, settling for sending her just a few every couple of hours. Watching her in the ring with Trinity with Regal calling out commands was fascinating. Both young women were phenomenally athletic. Ambrose couldn't help but think that if the divas were allowed to have matches that were more equal to their training sessions, there would be a better hope for the women's division. But, much like the rest of the matches put on, they were significantly toned down. He could never do in this corporation what he did in the indies.

Regardless, the session going on before him amazed him to say the least. He was sitting back some, not wanting to fluster Rita like he knew he did. She just needed to finally admit it. She would eventually.

When he saw Rita flip out of the ring, he began to approach her.

"Yeah, I know," Trinity said to something that Rita told her. "I trust that you could do it, no doubt."

Rita wiped some sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand. "I just want to practice it some more," she breathed out. "Definitely don't want to drop you on your head." She saw Trinity's eyes focus on something behind her.

"Can we help you?" Trinity asked as Rita spun around.

Upon seeing Ambrose, Rita turned back to Trinity, saying her goodbyes. She then demanded Ambrose follow her, and she was surprised when he agreed without an arguing word.

"What do you want?" she asked him as they reached a secluded hallway away from the rings.

"Lunch," he answered shortly. "With you."

"Won't happen." Crossing her arms underneath her chest, an unhappy expression settled on her face. "Steph told me your little trick in order to get my number from her."

"It was no trick."

"Oh, it wasn't? When you told her that you were, what? Upset? Worried? Mox, it's about time you just leave it alone. I'm going to change my number, and you're going to leave it be."

A smirk graced his face now, growing amusement taking over his demeanor. "Oh really?" he asked. "Is that so?"

"Yes, that's so. You don't get it, Jon – "

His body had pressed against hers, keeping her straight in his sight before she could even continue. "_You_ don't get it, Rita," he said in a deceptively gentle voice. "There's something between us, and you keep denying it like it matters."

"There's nothing – "

"Shh," he hushed her with a finger pressed to her soft lips. "I have never felt like this towards anyone. Anyone."

Rita watched his eyebrows emphasize his words, her vision falling back to his lips. She knew that he was aware of her observations of his facial features, but she didn't care. She couldn't lie to herself even if she didn't want to declare anything to him. She was captivated by him.

"And I don't know what it is about you," he continued, "but I just can't sit back and hope that it goes away. It's not a phase. It's not a stage of infatuation. It's something. Something I can't deny. I won't deny it either."

She waited a moment before talking, her eyes still wondering over his face. When she did speak, her words were soft despite her heart pounding in her chest.

"Do you think it's smart?" she asked him. "To start something with me? Jon, it won't work out how you want it to."

"Why not?" he asked, suppressing his anger. "You're too busy wishing that Orton will go somewhere with you? I've got news for you, Rita. I've seen him when he's not around you, and I can guarantee you that you're the last thing on his mind."

The words hit her like a bolt of lightening, the harshness of them soaking into her mind. He was lying. Wasn't he? She didn't give him a chance to say anything else as she pushed him away from her.

"You know it's true, Rita!" he called after her, letting her walk away for now. "You deserve better than that!"

"""""

Rita's evening planned out with Randy was a doubtful one. Ambrose's words had undeniably made an impact on her. An unwanted impact. His words swirled around in her mind, building up with more intense every single time they repeated in her mind. And as they sat in a private booth in a closed off area of the restaurant, she couldn't focus on this time with him for the life of her.

Not only did her mind keep repeating Ambrose's words, her thoughts kept going back to him. And his lips. His blue eyes... They weren't like Randy's. Ambrose's blue eyes held something deeper, something more in them. Randy's baby blues had nowhere near the amount of emotions as Ambrose's dark blues. Rita found herself wanting to get out of this stuffy restaurant, and away from Randy.

"I've got a surprise for you," Randy said, breaking her train of thought. "I've been holding onto this for a little bit of time now."

She put on a smile, waiting for him as he pulled out a small box. A jewelry box.

"That's what was in the bag?" she asked, remembering the gray bag.

He nodded, placing the velvet box on the table and sliding it towards her. She looked at it precariously. It seemed too big for a ring box, yet too small for much of anything else. But she spun it around so she could open it. When she cracked the box open, inside sat a single stone ring. And below that, the matching bracelet.

Randy must have seen her face drop because he quickly took the box in his hands to dismantle the ring and bracelet set. He found himself stumbling for some words, unbelievable to even himself that he couldn't find the words to say. He took a deep breath, a sudden pain in his chest.

"Look," he finally said after several moments. "I know that between the two of us, there deserves to be more."

"Between the two of us?" she questioned. "Is there even going to be the two of us?"

"There already is," he said quickly, feeling his heart skip a beat. "I want to give you the world, Ri. You mean so much to me, and for the past couple of years, you've been there every step of the way." He paused for a second, swallowing hard. "But you know my history, and you know what I've gone through with Sam."

Rita's head dipped down, the jewelry set all but forgotten between them. "I'll forever pay for a debt that's not mine."

"That's not true, Rita," he said, wishing desperately that the lump that formed in his throat at her words would go away. He could almost feel what she was going to say.

"It is." She looked up at him, any hope she ever had for them drained from her. "I'm sorry that I involved myself with you while you were still married."

"We were separated, and had been for a year when I met you," he tried to interrupt.

She ignored his words, knowing that none of it mattered. "I'm sorry that I couldn't help myself from falling for you. You were wonderful to me from the start, and I have loved every moment with you."

"Rita," he pleaded.

She pushed the velvet box towards him, tears lining her lashes. "But I can't continue on knowing that I'll never have all of you."

Before he could protest, she stood, snatching up her bag and as fast as Randy could blink, she was gone from his sight.


	6. Chapter 6

_**A/N:** How's about that TLC pay-per-view, huh? Watched me some of that pre-show just to hear Ambrose talk. So good. Anyway, enjoy this next chapter!_

With the thought of tonight's dinner with Randy replaying in her mind, she blindly walked away from the restaurant. Dazed and very confused about what had went down. Did he really think she wanted another jewelry set? No, she didn't. What had she expected though? A sudden promise ring? As far as she was concerned, he could have back every piece of fancy metal he ever gave her. None of it meant anything, and it's not what she wanted from him anyway.

What did she even want? Ever since Ambrose had been gracing her life with his ever-pleasant presence, things had been going awry between she and Randy. Only one relationship had room to grow with her. She couldn't have her cake and eat it too, and clearly her cake wasn't baked by Randy. She couldn't hate Ambrose for trying though. In every sense of the word, he had a crush on her. Anyone could admire his tenacity in pursuing her. He wanted something and he was going after it.

Her high-heeled feet tapped along the sidewalk, feeling herself push through a few people. Her mind still raced. She wasn't a something. She wasn't an it. Ambrose couldn't possess her. He couldn't buy her like Randy had tried to for nearly three years. Not that she thought Ambrose would do such a thing. She could tell he wasn't about material things. He just wanted exactly what she wanted in Randy. A warm body to have every night, to share his day with, to share his thoughts with, and know for absolute certainty that the person he wanted share his life with wasn't sharing theirs with anyone else.

Stability wasn't something she truly sensed from Ambrose, but she knew he desired it. Why he thought she would give it to him though, was beyond her. Why Randy thought she would just be strung along behind him as he went through other women, getting whatever out of his system, was beyond her. Why Ambrose thought she would just bow down to him when she had shown no previous interest, was really beyond her. Everything was beyond her, even her actions right now as she stopped in front of an extravagant hotel, pulling down on the bottom of her dress so she could sit on the cold cement steps.

Instantly regretting not taking her hoodie with her as the brisk coldness snapped against her skin, she took her phone out of her bag. She tried calming her voice as she pressed the screen to dial a number she knew she would regret even more than not having a coat.

"Jon?" she softly said as his groggy voice answered.

"""""

He hadn't hesitated to jump up from bed when she called him, immediately rushing over to where she said she was. It wasn't but a ten minute drive away from the hotel, but he would have driven all night just to get to her.

"Sorry I woke you," Rita quietly said as they drove back to the hotel. "I couldn't think of who else to call."

Ambrose shook his head slightly. "I wasn't sleeping. My mind never stops, and my body doesn't rest either." He glanced over at her, seeing that she tried sinking as far into the car seat as she could. When he arrived to where she was, he threw his own leather jacket over her shivering body, and he was glad to see that she almost looked like she was protecting herself with it. He didn't know what had happened, or who she was with, but he wasn't going to press the issue. For now, he'd just enjoy his time with her, even if it was just a short ride.

"You should relax some," she told him. Letting her arm out of the warmth of his jacket, she clicked the radio on, keeping the volume down low. She went through the stations, settling on a soft-tone song. Her arm quickly disappeared into the jacket again as she began humming out the song.

Ambrose listened carefully as she gently sang along. He didn't know the song, but the way she sounded, it made him feel like he had known it forever. Like he had known her forever. She brought an odd sense of comfort to him.

The song was over, as was their drive together. He could tell something had upset her, and upset her enough that she had called on him. Sadness took over him as they approached the elevator. He didn't want this to moment with her to end.

"What floor are you on?" he asked her as he stepped into the elevator after her.

"Same floor you're on," she merely said.

His face scrunched, his confusion showing. "How do you know what floor I'm on?"

Rita bit her top lip. "I don't," she said in a voice so shy that it almost scared Ambrose. Surprising him further more was when her arms wrapped around his muscular one, her face placed upon his chest. "Can I stay with you tonight?"

He tapped the button to his floor, an undeniable happiness radiating from him. "Sure."

Resisting the urge to hug her simply because he loved the feeling of her clinging to him, he patiently waited for this elevator ride to end. Maybe tonight would be what he needed in order to get to her. Maybe this night spent with her, alone, with no one else in sight, would be exactly what they needed to progress. And it would be precisely what Rita needed to move on from Orton.

"You sure you don't want to get your bags?" he asked her as they walked down the long hallway to the door to his room.

Rita released her hold on him. "I'll get them in the morning."

He hated the emptiness he felt from her removed touch as they entered the room. Making his way towards his bag, he pulled out a black t-shirt and held it up to her.

"This good enough?" he asked. His eyes raked over the white dress she wore. It didn't look comfortable wearing it at all, much less if she had to sleep in it.

Looking down at the dress she was wearing, Rita gave him a silly smile. "Don't you have some clothes from your girlfriends in there?" Despite her question, she reached behind to her back, pulling the zipper to the dress down.

Ambrose grinned as she took the shirt from his hand. "I haven't had a girlfriend in quite some time."

"Hmm," she breathed out, stepping into the bathroom and closing the door slightly. "That sounds nothing like what I know of Jon Moxley."

As she changed, he only saw a little bit of her nearly-bare body. Bits and pieces of her that he loved seeing showing sparsely through the half-shut door. From her painted toes, to her calves, up her thick thighs. And those hips... He could imagine his hands on him as she rode him. He couldn't mentally create any more intimate images of her as the door creaked fully open.

"Oh yeah?" he managed to say as she walked back into the room, folding the dress neatly and placing it on top of the dresser.

She gave him a cheeky grin. "You can't tell me the girls aren't all over you. If they weren't before, they definitely are now."

He laid back on the bed, hands behind his head. "Totally, since I have those six figures coming in now."

"I can tell," she started to say as she climbed over the comforter of the bed, "that you're not all about that." She sat on the heels of her feet next to him.

"No," he said whimsically. The sweet, warm scent of her hit him with an intensity he didn't think was possible. Vanilla and some other fragrance he couldn't place his finger on... and it was so very soothing. "No, I'm not. I don't care about money. I've lived on a lot less than what I have now."

Rita threw her gaze over his body, her vision sweeping from those blue eyes that focused so boldly on her, down his muscled chest, past his flat stomach. She willed herself to try and skip past the part of his anatomy that he was probably thinking with when it came to her, and glance down his jean-clad legs before drawing her attention back to his face. When her green eyes landed on his blues again, his eyes fluttered shut, and she wondered what he was thinking about.

Before she could stop herself, she reached out, her hand gently caressing his face. It was only when his eyes opened a minute later did she pull back, mortified by her actions.

"Oh!" She held onto her hand as if she had been burnt. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean... "

He reached for her hand, bringing her close to him. Stretching her legs out from underneath her, she lay next to him. The awkwardness that she should have felt laying next to a man that she claimed to dislike, wearing his shirt, laying in his bed... It wasn't there. For the first time, in a long time, she felt truly at ease.

"Don't be sorry," he whispered in a raspy voice. "I should still be apologizing to you." His fingers brushed over her cheek, sending shivers down her spine. "You cold?"

"No," she answered, shaking her head some.

He shifted his head to get a better look at her. "You don't like my touch then?"

"It should be creepy," she joked. "But it's not."

"What, you didn't like my updates? I thought they were pretty smooth. Like Twitter or some shit."

She couldn't help but laugh. "I think I can do without them."

Ambrose took in a long look of her face. "You've got a beautiful smile."

"You're not helping any," she bashfully said before covering her mouth with both her hands. She rolled away from him, in a fit to cover herself with the sheets.

"I thought you hated me," Ambrose said, turning his head to look up at the ceiling.

"I don't _hate_ you. That's such a harsh word." She watched the sheets lower themselves back to the bed, the bubble of air that she puffed up deflating. "Intensely annoyed by you. Immense irritation, if you will."

"Well, can I still apologize to you?" he asked, placing an arm over his forehead. "Because I didn't mean nor want to hurt you. I wanted to punch myself for doing that."

"Did you?" she asked, almost hopeful, as she laid on her side facing him.

He raised a fist to his face, pretending to punch himself. "Would it make you feel better if I really did?" He punched himself once, twice, a third time, Rita realizing the smack of it was anything but fake.

"Jon!" She pulled at his arm. "Don't hit yourself!"

"You do it then," he told her, grabbing her hand and balling it up. He didn't even flinch as he drove her fist into his cheek. "Come on, hit me. As much as you want. Hurt me like I did you."

She should have been scared, petrified even, by his behavior. It wasn't normal. He didn't act normally. But he had to make it through his life somehow, and the things that labeled him as crazy, possibly insane, were also the same things that allowed him to survive.

"I don't want to hurt you."

Rita's soft voice could have melted his body. And if it wasn't the gentleness of her voice, it were the kind words that she spoke. The kindness that he never really experienced in his life. It was either someone using him or taking something away from him. Some people had, literally, screwed him, uncaring what was to become of him. To see the kindness in her concerned eyes... He had to tell her.

Yet, he hesitated... Not something he often did. Her cool hands traveled to his face, to bring him closer to her, to hold him next to her. It was as if she didn't want to let him go, and he could dream for just a second that she were actually his.

"You are sensitive, Jon," she said, breaking his thoughts. "Delicate. Only caring of those who you believe care about you. And I'd be a liar if I told you that I didn't want you." Stroking down his cheek, she let her hand fall from his face, and aptly put space between their bodies. It wouldn't be smart of her to give into what she knew they both wanted. "But I can't."

Ambrose squeezed his eyes shut at her words. Turning him away, that's what she was doing. She still didn't know though. They couldn't push this away. He let out a deep breath and quickly switched the bedside lamp off.

"""""

Ambrose had not been quite as talkative towards her since the other night. It almost seemed as though he was withdrawn from everyone. Rollins and Reigns taking notice as well. They asked her about it, and she skirted around the more intimate details of their night, explaining to them how he came and picked her up. That he seemed to be okay for the majority of the time she spent with him, and that when they woke up the next morning, he barely said three words to her.

"So, he was fine up until you brushed him off?" Rollins asked as he tied up his boots.

Rita squinted her eyes towards him. "Great way to put it, but yeah, up until then."

"The answer is simple then," Reigns then said. "He's not going to stop moping around until you give him a chance."

Her shoulders slouched at the Samoan's words. Give him a chance? Ambrose, a chance? Rita couldn't do that, and a few nights ago, she could have told anyone the reasons why. She loved Randy. Ambrose had hurt her physically. Ambrose had annoyed her. Ambrose had emotionally bribed one of Rita's best friends for her number. He annoyed her some more. And finally, he irritated the piss out of her.

But now, as she glanced up at the large Samoan man, she wasn't so sure herself. Loving Randy seemed so foreign to her now. She hadn't talked to him either since that night, all the doubts and fears they had still lingering between them. She doubted if they'd ever resolve anything. Ignoring him seemed the best thing to do for now, and she was able to do just that for a while. But tonight, they would be working together. The fans knew of the chemistry she and Randy had together, and whether any of them knew it ran deeper than just on screen, she couldn't let them down. She'd have to suck up her feelings tonight.

Just then, there was a knock on the door, Reigns taking not but three long strides to open it. A stagehand popped his upper body inside the room, holding up his hand.

"Five minutes, guys," the man said.

"Where's Jon at?" Rollins said as he concentrated on pulling his gloves over his fingers.

"Right here," Ambrose said as his hand slapped against the shutting locker room door. His eyes locked with Rita's, but he didn't falter in his step. "Had to get some fresh air."

Rita felt the eyes of Rollins and Reigns shift to her. She felt bad for treating him the way she did. But what choice did she have? She wasn't about to just give into him merely because the man had a thing for her. One just didn't do that. There had to be reasons, and emotions, and feelings, and everything else that stirred the uprising of a relationship. Getting to know him had been forefront in her mind, and she hadn't done that yet.

The forlorn look on his face didn't help any. Guilt and pity were the last things she wanted to feel for him. Guilt and pity were the last things that made a relationship last. She'd walk away from this company altogether if guilt and pity were the only two things that would keep her close to anyone.

As the minutes passed for their segment, she steeled herself for what they were to do. Some sort of punishment thing again. The four of them were to surround the ring, then overpower. It wasn't something that really had her interest. Just as they did on screen, she just did as she was told.

She could tell as they made their way through the crowd, Ambrose walking down behind her, that he wanted to be her personal shield against the audience. She stole a glance at him as they approached the barrier, and the look on his face gave him away. He hated the random pats and taps she received from the fans. Their titles in hand, they made their way around the ring, one of them at each ring post. Stephanie and Paul stood at the top of the ramp, talking to the man inside the ring.

_"You refused to do what was asked of you. You purposely tried to injure Cena. And it's really rather simple, Randy,"_ Paul, in the spirit of Triple H, said._ "This choice will not be yours. This option is no longer available to you."_

Before Randy could respond, the four members jumped up onto the apron, each still in their corner.

_"That's right, Randy,"_ Stephanie said as she pointed a finger towards the ring. _"We told you that you would get a fair title match, and we brought our end of the deal. We gave you the best chance that we could give, and you failed us. Now, it's time for you to follow through on your end."_

Randy was turning slowly on his feet, cautiously watching each member. His eyes lingered especially long on Rita. She looked so good in the nylon vest and the black shorts she wore, her thighs on showcase for the entire world to see. A pang of jealous rang through him. Those were his thighs, his legs, and for a split second he missed them around his waist. But any thoughts for Rita were halted by the task at hand.

Rollins and Ambrose both leaped through the ropes and into the ring, attacking Randy. Rita stepped in, Randy's championship in her hand. She was instructed to taunt him, and that's exactly what she did. Holding the title in his face, she started yelling nonsense at him, and after a few moments, she pulled her hand back to slap him, exaggerating on the intensity of it as she spun around to complete the motion. Rollins and Ambrose pulled Randy to his feet, and the three of them cleared away. Rita swallowed hard as she found herself standing near a ring post with Ambrose. She crossed her arms, trying maintain her posture.

_"Randy,"_ Paul started as the segment began wrapping up. _"You were given that choice, and you gave up that choice. It's time for us to choose for you."_

Right on his marking, Randy turned around from looking at the stage where Stephanie and Paul were walking back to the curtain. He was met with a devastating spear from Reigns. Rita winced, knowing the impact of it was all too real even if Randy was expecting it.

She soon found her way walking beside the ramp, the four of them taking their leave to the backstage area. Ambrose kept his arm up beside her, keeping the grabbing hands of the fans behind the barrier off of her as she walked in front of her.

"""""

Rita prepared herself for another segment, one that was to take place directly after the commercial break. She stood in the area, taking a deep breath as she adjusted her women's title over her shoulder. A stagehand signaled the commercial was over and that the cameras were now rolling as they followed a disgruntled Orton. He stormed through the backstage area, shouting out for Rita.

_"Cherie!"_ He shoved a random stagehand as he finally saw her. _"Goddamn it, Cherie!"_ He grabbed the back of his head, playing on the damage of the spear. _"Please explain to me what you're doing!"_

Ambrose was scripted to come in between the two, and he did, holding a hand in front of Randy to push him away from Rita. She doubted that the creative team fully understood the realism of the situation.

_"What seems to be the problem, Orton?"_

_ "My problem is with her, not with you. Now get out of my way!"_

Going off script, Randy pushed Ambrose harder than what was planned. Rita saw Ambrose stumble back, catching himself before his bottom hit the concrete floor. Then, as was planned, Randy tried isolating Rita, but was quickly stopped by the three male members of her new faction. She could see the anger boiling in Ambrose, and he pulled away from the scene as Rollins and Reigns carried out a brief beating. He came back in though at the last second, and she was thankful for the fact he seemed to pull his thoughts together.

_"Believe in the shield,"_ Ambrose spat in Randy's face, pushing the WWE World Heavyweight title in Randy's face. The members walked away, the cameras following them for a brief moment before panning back to Randy on the floor.

When the cameras stopped rolling, Rita pulled on Ambrose's arm.

"You weren't supposed to scratch his face up with the belt," she told him, anger in her own eyes.

"Well, he wasn't supposed to fucking push me like I was holding up the lunch line," Ambrose shot back, wiping sweat from his face. "Tough."

He walked away before she could say anything else. Rollins shot her a sympathetic look, and she sighed, pointing out her hand for him to follow Ambrose. Reigns shortly followed suit after making sure she was fine.

"What's your problem?" Rita asked Randy as he sat up against the cool painted brick wall. He wiped at his mouth, the distinct coppery taste of blood in his mouth.

"Besides your new boyfriend busting my lip open?" he sarcastically asked, stumbling to his feet. "I don't have a problem, Rita." He began walking away from her, dragging his title on the floor as he went.

"Bullshit you don't," she said walking behind him.

He waited until they were at his locker room before turning to face her. "And why are you following me?"

"We need to talk," she simply said, not even looking up at him.

"We had plenty of time to talk." He hastily opened the door, however he did not stop her from entering the room. "And before your fucking boyfriend decided to bloody me up," he added as he threw the title down onto the couch.

"He's not my fucking boyfriend, Randy! Stop saying that!"

"Don't fucking yell at me," he shouted at her as he pointed towards the door. "I didn't allow you to come in here just so you could have a fucking screaming match with me! That's not what we do, Rita. We've never done that. But now you're allowing that piece of shit to come between us, and he's pushed me away from you!"

"You're making shit up, Randy! He's not coming between us!"

"He is!" he shouted more, stepping towards her and lowering his face to hers.

"He is not!" She pushed her hand against his chest. "You are!"

He lowered his arm, the unusual feeling of regret coming over him. Her shoulders shook and her hand flew to her mouth. She was crying. Crying because of him. He had let her down... No. He had let her fall. It had been impossible to prevent, to stop her from falling so hard. And he wasn't sure now if he was capable of catching her anymore.

He turned away from her, his breath more erratic from them arguing than his show segment. He wanted to hold her, to kiss her and touch her. To finally make love to her again. He didn't care what Ambrose was to her now; He wasn't going to give Rita up, not without a fight. Taking her hand, her pulled her trembling body with him towards the shower.


	7. Chapter 7

_**A/N:** First, I'd like to say that I made some corrections. Second, the storyline in this... Just go with the flow. It kind of evolves with the story, so just go with it. Third, I wasn't going to put up this seventh chapter until Saturday, but it's a half hour to Friday for me, and I can't sleep. So here it is. Hope you enjoy. Thank you!_

"Fuck that, Joe!" Ambrose shouted out as he threw his black vest into the locker. "She's fucking toying with me! As soon as Randy gets a little boo-boo, a little scrape, she's all over him!"

"Jon, that's her best friend," Rollins said. He and Reigns had tried to deter Ambrose's anger, to steer it towards where it was truly aimed. They both knew it was misdirected at Rita. His frustration lie in Orton.

"You know you can't keep her from her friends," Reigns then said as he sat down on the bench.

Ambrose ran a hand over his dirty blond locks. "I'm not. I'm not trying to do that. I'd never want to do that." He paced around in front of the locker space for a few moments. "And-and-and I don't want to change her. Believe me, I'm so fucking consumed by who she is, the last thing I want to do is change her. I love her just the way she is."

"Then you know that if anything were to happen between you and Rita," Rollins began, taking a pause to drink some water out of his bottle. "Then you'd have to learn how to like her friends."

"Exactly," Reigns said, nodding his head in an agreeing manner. "You can't just take from her and expect to give next to nothing."

"But see, that's the thing," Ambrose said, shaking his finger in the air. "I don't want to take from her. I want to give to her. I just don't want her to give to anyone else."

Rollins stood, patting Ambrose on the back. "You'll have to give her some space right now," he told Ambrose, hoping that his discontented friend would understand. "Right now for us though, we've got a match to get ready for."

Reigns then stood, pulling some items out of his locker space. He offered Ambrose a friendly pat on the back as well. "It'll work out, man."

"""""

This is where Randy belonged. Buried deep inside of her. She was his, and she belonged with him. There was no one else who could possibly take his place. And Rita would do real well if she remembered that. But Randy knew he would have to show her more often, more frequently than what he had been. Tonight, he'd start correcting the misdoings between himself and Rita.

The hotel room, he thought as his hand snaked through her drenched hair and yanking her head to the side. She would no longer room separately from him anymore. It left too many possibilities open for that low-life slum that was trying to take Rita away from him.

Randy's lips found her neck, suckling away at the soft skin. If he hadn't already been so drawn into her giving body, her soft moan as he nipped at her flesh could make him melt into her even more. At the moment, he would love nothing more than to just disappear in her. She soaked up everything he gave her, every thrust, every lick, and as he placed his lips over hers to swallow her moans, the reason why she gave herself so freely and so willingly hit him with just as much intensity as the feelings she was giving him right now.

He had always known, so the fact that she loved him didn't surprise him. It was the fact that she waited for him. Waited while he was bedding other girls. Waited for him to come back to her. He knew she was waiting for him, and it pained him. He couldn't even begin to explain the depth of his love to her... But he also couldn't explain to her why he was so hesitant with completely giving himself to her. He couldn't explain why he seemed to be so uncertain. He could use Samantha as an excuse for now, but that wouldn't always work.

To Randy, Rita was there. She was there for him. And at this time of his life, that's all he needed. He knew she wanted more from him. That she craved the knowledge that he would only be with her. He wanted the same thing, and would give anything if she would just wait a little bit longer for him. He wanted to give Rita all of his attention. The idea of them being together was in his mind the minute he met her.

He'd be a fool to let her go now, and he allowed himself to say to her what he knew no other man did.

"I love you, Ri."

"""""

Shades pushed down on her eyes, her short hair tossed to one side, and her leather bag scrunched down in her lap, she waited for them to arrive to the vehicle. The morning sun was bright, the air crisp and cool as she saw them rolling their bags to the back of the SUV. From her open door, she heard Ambrose offer to drive. She quickly shut the door, seeing Ambrose glare into the tinted window before pulling open the driver's side door.

She was relieved that he wasn't sitting next to her this time, happy when Rollins' bubbly attitude sat itself next to her in the car. She looked over at him, his bright white smile being overpowered by the goofy grin he gave her.

"You're so silly," she told him as he pretended to fumble with his bag.

Ambrose looked at her through the rear view mirror, wishing that the anger that surged through him as Rita looked at Rollins would go away. She playfully slapped at his arm, pushing him away from her. He bounced back off the door, acting as though she had shoved him with all her might. Her laughter rang through the car again as Reigns finally took his seat in the front passenger side.

"Alright, enough kids," Reigns said as he shut his door. He held up his hand, pointing a finger into the air. "Don't make us turn this car around."

Ambrose started up the engine, his knuckles whitening as he gripped the steering wheel harder than what was needed. How could she... She just acted like nothing mattered... Their night together. Him. What they had. Like none of it mattered to her! So lackadaisical about everything! How could she go on about her day knowing that she was drowning herself in Randy. She wouldn't be able to breathe soon. And he knew it. Randy knew it. Stephanie had known it. Everyone knew but her.

He slowly exited the parking lot, not saying a word as he solely concentrated on driving them to their next destination. The last thing he needed to do was drive them all off the road because he was too lost in his thoughts. He may have wanted to beat the air out of Orton, to know the sensation of wrapping his hands around Orton's neck, choking the man until his lungs could no longer survive the lack of oxygen. But he didn't want to hurt Rita. He just wanted to show Rita that her love was being wasted.

She deserved more than that. She wanted more than that. He saw it in her eyes that night, and he saw it in her face every time she was around Randy. That spineless bastard didn't know what was good for him. Orton hadn't known what was good for him for years now. Orton didn't want to see what was good for him. He, on the other hand, could see Rita for what she offered. The anger flared again as he thought more. What Rita offered Orton... She offered him her body... The body that should only be with him, not Orton. Rita should only belong to him, not Orton. She should only be kissing him, not Orton. She should only be loving him... not Orton.

"""""

Tired, aching, and hungry, Rita dragged her luggage behind her as she started what appeared to be a long walk down the hallway to where her hotel room was. To make matters worse, she had to pull her luggage up two flights of stairs as the elevators were down for maintenance. Apparently, this hotel didn't take into consideration that some of their guests arrived to their rooms later than some. And she was one of those guests.

The hallway was empty, barren of anything but a few lights adorning the wall every so many feet. The doors to the rooms didn't even start until she would round the corner, which was still so very far away. But she quietly made her way down, taking the few minutes of silence to think. Randy said he had ordered dinner just as she left the arena, and he was just waiting for her to open the door so they could eat together and spend another night in each others arms.

She didn't know what came over Randy. After the night they argued in his locker room, he was more affectionate towards her. He spent more of his spare time with her. He even made sure they would spend some of their work hours together, seeing to that they hold signings, meet and greets, and interviews together. The company agreed, saying that since they both held championships, they would promote themselves strictly as champions. They also happen to toss in Reigns and Rollins, as they were currently the tag team champions, and to Randy's disgust, Ambrose as the United States champion.

Randy didn't like the fact that man that seemed to be obsessed over Rita would be sitting side-by-side at them during event promotions. But he would settle for the fact that at times, he and Rita would sometimes go off on their own as the top guy and the top girl in the company. Those were the times that Randy would show the gentle side of himself. The side she was used to. The part of him that she wanted to be hers.

As soon as Rita rounded the corner, she was met by Ambrose. His hands shot out to grab her, his arms wrapping themselves around her body. Forced to drop the handle to her luggage, she attempted to push herself away from him.

"Jon, stop it."

"Rita," he said, repeating her name again, whispering in her ear. "Rita, I know you care."

"Jon, let go." She was once again unsuccessful of pushing him away.

"About me, Rita," he continued as if she wasn't struggling against him. "I know that you care about me, babe."

Rita felt that his body was shaking, although his arms were unmoving around her waist. "Jon, are you okay? What's wrong?"

He pressed her closer, her chest smashing against his body. "There's nothing wrong, Rita. Nothing except the fact that I know you're going back to him."

"What?" she asked, somehow shoving herself away long enough to look at his face. Those dark blue eyes burned something fierce. Her heart sank, knowing exactly what he meant.

"To him. You're going back to him," he told her. "But that's okay. Because you'll see, sooner or later, that he's not right for you. He can't and won't give you what I can."

"Stop it, Jon." She finally pulled his arms from around her, keeping him at arm length when he stepped away from her. He looked hurt, and for a reason unknown to her, it made her feel horrible. "Just stop it. I don't know why you're doing this to yourself."

He turned away from her, pacing a bit as he rubbed his knuckles. Rita looked at them for a second, noting that they looked busted up and were bloody. Had he been fighting?

"That's funny," he commented with a sarcastic laugh, "because I don't know why either. It's clear to me that you don't want me. It's clear to me that you want to run off to someone who doesn't deserve you." He cracked his knuckles, not even wincing at the pain. "But you'll eventually find out that it's me you need. You just want him. You don't need him."

"Jon," she said, holding up her hand. "Jon, please. This is insane." She must have gotten to his mind more than she thought. Sighing, she stooped to pick up her luggage, the black strands of her hair falling into her face. "You did this to yourself. Joe, Colby, neither one of them act like this around me. This is my life, Jon. It's my life, and it's your life. It's not a wrestling promo. It's not a hype for a match. It's my life."

Ambrose just grinned, a deep laugh rumbling in his chest slowly rising up before he suddenly punched the wall next to her head. A breath caught in her chest as she realized that it was how his hands were bloody. He'd been punching walls, probably even destroying other objects in his hotel room.

"My life too, huh?" He placed each of his arms on either side of her, caving her in. "Well my life doesn't make sense anymore without you in it."

He punched the wall again before lowering his arms and walking away. Rita was lost, confused, bewildered... She couldn't make sense of it. She didn't know the meaning behind his words. Once again, as she sluggishly made her way down to Randy's room, her mind was left scrambling. She was no longer hungry. The dull pains in her body had vanished. And the sleepiness that came over her from a long day was taken over by an acute awareness of what just happened.

"""""

"Girl, are you okay?"

Rita looked up to see Trinity standing beside her. Trinity folded her arms under her chest, trying her best not to bring attention to them.

"Yeah," Rita said, taking a moment to look in the opposite direction. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Good," Trinity said, her own stare wondering around the performance center. "Because I was a little worried about you after last night's match."

Rita scoffed, more to herself than anything else. "My mind is just... " She shook her head. "Somewhere else."

"On lover boy Randy?" Trinity asked, unable to remain inconspicuous anymore. She leaned against the empty ring, watching the two people train in the other one.

"Him," Rita said as she turned around as well, her eye also on the two trainees. "And other things."

"Well, what happened? You want to talk about it?"

She shook her head some more. "It's just silly things."

"You might feel better if you talked about it," Trinity gently pushed. "Why don't we go out to lunch, and have a chit-chat?"

"That actually sounds like a fantastic idea."

Rita followed Trinity outside after grabbing her bag.

"You want to take one car or what?" Trinity said, turning around as she stopped at her car.

"Your car is fine." She opened the passenger door, seating herself in silver car. Almost immediately, she pulled down the visor, checking her eyes. She wiped her finger across them, shaking her head and snapping the visor back up. "I look terrible. Could you really tell I was tired?"

"Can I read you?" Trinity asked as she spun the steering wheel and directing the car out onto the road. "Yes, I can read you. Probably better than lover boy could right now."

Rita laughed, adjusting her bag in her lap. "Randy could take some lessons from you then."

"This restaurant right here is good," Trinity said, slowing the vehicle and pulling into the parking lot. "Usually kind of empty at this time too."

"Fine with me," Rita told her as she looked around to see there were only a few cars.

As they entered the restaurant, a sense of relief flooded Rita. She could use some downtime with one of her good friends right about now.

"So, spill it," Trinity finally said as the waitress placed down their food. "Don't give me none of that shorthand stuff either. I want the full story."

"The whole enchilada, huh?"

"I want the entire menu. Out with it." She lightly banged on the table top to make her point.

"Well," Rita said, pushing some stray hair out of her face as she began to eat. "Last week, Randy set up this little dinner thing in our room. Had room service bring all this fancy shit. Candles. Nice food. Even a vase of roses."

"Sounds good so far." She pushed around her food a bit with her fork. "What's the problem?"

Rita couldn't help the smile on her face, even with the dark cloud hanging over her. "There was no problem, and that's my problem."

"That's the problem?" Trinity asked, her face falling with disbelief. "That's a great problem to have."

Stabbing at her food for a second, Rita paused, the smile falling. "He asked me to be his."

"His? Like his girlfriend, his?"

"Yeah," she confirmed. "I agreed to it. I have always loved the idea of me and Randy being together, and now that it's, I guess, official, I find myself second guessing it. Almost like I finally get some candy, but it's a flavor I don't want."

"So, wait, you don't like Randy anymore? Is that what's going on?"

"No," she shook her head. "I love Randy. I feel like our friendship was exactly what was missing for me. But, that's all it should be."

"Just a friendship?" Trinity asked as she took a sip of her drink. At Rita's nod, she continued. "Well, see where it takes you. You never know. I mean, you and Randy have a few years together as being really close. Anyone could see that it's something special between the two of you."

Rita sighed out, agreeing with what Trinity was saying. Knowing that Trinity was right. Being Randy's girl... It was what she wanted. Still, she felt as though something were wrong with the status of it. Rita Cossa, Randy Orton's girlfriend. It just didn't sound as good as she thought it should. The idea wasn't as brilliant as she used to believe. In just a few short months, Ambrose had changed that. She never questioned being with Randy before... Not until Ambrose came around.

Happy when Trinity changed the subject to lighter and more funny matters, they relaxed a bit in the cozy restaurant before making their way back to the performance center. They had to prepare more for the championship match that was to take place between the two of them.

"""""

They sat around the large oval wooden table, a meeting currently going for the undergoing of the upcoming pay-per-view, Elimination Chamber. Rita and Trinity were to have a match for the women's championship. She was beyond excited for this title defense to be against one of her good friends. And as the details of the pay-per-view floated in one ear and out the other, Rita's ears perked up when they began talking about the match that involved her.

"Trin, Rita," Stephanie began. "Your match will be the second one on the card. Trin, Ariane will come out with you. Rita, the Shield members will come out with you."

Rita listened on to what Stephanie was saying. She was to send her faction members back. Rollins and Reigns had a tag team match to which their titles were on the line. She would not be so fortunate in her title defense match as they. However, they would lose their titles to the Uso Brothers at RAW the following night. In the long run, Trinity and the twin brothers were planned to begin a title reign together that would be the start of another storyline.

That left Ambrose, who was not scheduled for a title match. She chanced a look over at him, relieved to see that he hadn't been staring at her. If they hadn't been talking before, they really weren't now. It was something nagging in her, like she should apologize for being so mean to him. But had she been mean? She didn't believe she ever was... That is, not unless he provoked her to be. He just sat there though, arms crossed, chewing on gum, and a smug look on his face. That arrogance added to the reasons why she didn't like him.

She looked away from Ambrose, wondering why she even thought she should try with him. He clearly had issues, and ones that she couldn't solve. She couldn't fix crazy, so that was out of her hands. Instead, she turned her attention to her boyfriend, Randy. Her boyfriend... Still didn't sound right. But she accepted it. He sat next to her, his hands clasped together on the table top. They had moved on to talking about his title match with Daniel Bryan.

When the meeting let out, Randy pulled her back to stay with him, as he was still discussing some things with Paul. He held on tightly to her hand, their fingers lacing together. It was almost painful as she felt Randy squeeze tighter and pull her body close to his. He then slipped his arm over her shoulders, and from across the room, she could see the reason why. Ambrose was walking around the oval table to the exit of the double doors.

Everyone else seemed to disappear when she fixed her vision on Ambrose. Even the weight of Randy's arm disappeared as her eyes followed Ambrose. She hated it. Hated the fact that he somehow captured her mind. And she hated the objection in her heart over Randy. Being with Randy was everything she had wanted these past few years. Was she really going to be so ungrateful for it now? She couldn't believe herself... Ungrateful is exactly what she was being.

Broken out of her thoughts when Randy pulled her closer, whispering in her ear.

"I've got something I want to talk to you about."

She didn't say anything in response. She just leaned into his warm body, waiting for them to have some time alone.

"""""

Randy rolled their luggage to their rental car, placing them into the trunk as Rita shrugged off her leather jacket and took her seat in the passenger side. She was nervous, looking back to see him shut the trunk and make his way to the driver's seat.

"What is it you want to talk about?" she asked him as he shut his door and started the car.

"You moving in with me."

She sighed, knowing where this would go. "Honey, you know I want to stay near Philly. It's my home."

"I know, baby," he said, a smirk on his lips. "But wouldn't it be nice to actually live together now?"

"You mean after nearly three years?"

He gave her a sly look, quickly turning his attention back to the road. "That was just one thing," he said, dismissing her question. "I wanted to take you somewhere to get a ring."

"A ring?" Her phone vibrated within her bag and she pulled it open to retrieve it. "I have plenty of rings from you."

"A special ring," he said, looking through the mirrors on the car to emerge into traffic. "One that no other woman in the world has."

"Oh," she said, ignoring the message that was sent to her. "You mean a very expensive ring. One that I don't really need."

"Rita, can I just do something nice for you? Please?"

"You do nice things for me all the time." Shoving her phone back into the pocket in her bag, she ignored the vibration again. "I don't need things from you. I just want you."

"I just wanted to get you a ring that tells everyone else that we work with, travel with, all of our family members, all of our friends, that you're mine."

"Randy," she started saying, but he cut her off.

"To tell everyone in the world that you belong to me." He glanced at her bag for a second. "And who is sending you messages?"

"No one," she lied. "They're emails. From the company."

"Good," he said as they turned onto the highway. "Once you move in, you're getting a new phone and a new number."

"Why? Everything I do is connected to this number."

"Exactly." He casually shrugged his shoulders. "Rita, you don't really think that I don't know he has your number, do you?"

"Randy, I – "

"If he continues to message you, Ri, I'm going to have to do something about it." He didn't look at her, knowing he'd see the reluctance on her face. There were obviously some things that she'd have to learn. "And I don't want to do that. I need my job to take care of you. Of us, and I refuse to allow anyone to get in my way."

"But – "

"You're changing it. End of story."

Rita sank into the car seat, an infinite string of words on the tip of her tongue to say to him. Stupid. Asinine. Pointless. Nightmare. But she remained silent, taking to looking out the window for the duration of their ride. This was a can of worms she didn't even know would be open.

Maybe Ambrose was right...


	8. Chapter 8

**_A/N:_**_ Well... I don't know what was worse yesterday... The storm that knocked out the power here for about six hours, or my husband's family dinner I had to attend. If you knew them, you'd probably think the storm was a walk in the park... Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this three chapter update; I hope they're not too terrible. Thank you to Dorenda, LivHardy, and ofmiceandhannahhh for the reviews. I highly appreciate them. And I hope everyone enjoys their holidays if they're celebrating anything, and enjoys these next chapters. Thank you! Happy Holidays!_

_"The following is for the women's championship!"_

Rita watched Trinity make her way out to the ring on the monitor next to where she stood. Ariane, with pom-poms in hand, cheered Trinity down the ramp.

_"Introducing first, the challenger... From Planet Funk... Naomi!"_

Rita watched them dance in the ring for a second, when a hand touched her back.

"You ready?" Reigns asked.

"Don't have a choice now, do I?"

Finding comfort in the confident smile he gave her, she took a deep breath, preparing herself to walk down through the crowd. Ambrose didn't even bother looking her way as their entrance song started, and their descend down the steps began.

_"And her opponent, representing The Shield and your current women's champion... Cherie Greene!" _

Rita stopped at the barricade, the three men standing behind her, in a stare down with Trinity, who was standing in the ring with her arms folded. Trinity was talking trash, and Rita forced herself to stop the smile she felt creeping on. She couldn't break character, especially at such a big event. Managing to subside it, she then jumped over the barricade, walking her way to the end of the ramp as her eyes focused on Trinity.

The rest of the Shield members followed her, backing up slightly as she turned them. She placed her hand on Rollins' chest, as he was closest to her, signaling he and Reigns to head back up the ramp. Ambrose stayed behind and walked his way to the side of the ring opposite where Ariane stood.

_"And look at this, ladies and gentlemen,"_ Michael Cole began at the commentary table. _"Dean Ambrose appears to be keeping to ringside for his fellow Shield member, Cherie Greene."_

Rita jumped onto the apron, somewhat at ease that he was standing below her. During the meeting, he hadn't say anything against being at ringside for her match. She didn't know if this was because he was trying to be decent to her, or because if he didn't stand there, he wouldn't otherwise be seen tonight. She'd rather not believe it was the latter, but it didn't matter now. Her match was set with or without him.

"""""

Rita braced herself on the top turnbuckle, waiting for Trinity's legs to wrap around her neck and pull her down to the mat. She landed with a thud, and checked to make sure that she was in the position she needed to be in. Trinity was to make a dive off the top turnbuckle, and Rita knew she was slightly nervous about it. Trinity was a fantastic athlete but her in-ring skills still needed to be polished. Just as planned, when Trinity began the dive, Rita rolled out of the way, Ambrose approaching her and offering her some reinforcing words.

She managed to drag herself to her feet, looking over at Trinity, who was clutching her stomach. Making her way out to the apron, she climbed the turnbuckle again, and as steady as her feet could be standing on the top rope, she prepared to flip and tumble down onto Trinity. She had done this move a hundred times, in the indies and in the WWE... She was used to it. It was one of her signature moves.

Except this time, it didn't work out as it had those other hundred times. It was a hazy motion to her as Ariane pulled herself up onto the apron and viciously shook the ropes before jumping back down to the outside mat. Rita tried to support herself for the disruption and the landing, but everything was lost to her. Her footing slipped in a way she hadn't expected it to, and she ended up falling backwards. Grabbing at the ring post in an effort to sway the motion, she knew she wouldn't land safely. From the angle at which she was ruthlessly dropping, all she could see were the steel steps. She was going to land head first straight into them.

Yet a body blocked it. Her vision was obscured by a black shirt, and when she felt his arms around her, she knew exactly who it was and what he'd done.

_"Dean Ambrose!"_ Michael Cole yelled from his seat. _"Dean Ambrose with the save! He just caught Cherie Greene from cascading down onto those steel steps!"_

He was on his back, the edge of the steps creasing into him. Ambrose pushed her to her feet, gently nudging her back into the ring. She received a Rear View as she stood to her feet, stumbling back into the corner of the ring. Trinity pulled her into an Irish whip off the ropes and performed her finisher, Nightfalls. The crowd cheered as Trinity quickly covered her for the winning pin.

Rita rolled her way out of the ring into the waiting arms of Ambrose. He was still in character though, as he shouted, upset at the loss. She held the back of her head, selling the kick, as Ambrose pulled her over the barrier and past the crowd to the backstage area. As soon as they weren't seen by the fans or camera, he immediately turned his concerned eyes to her.

"You okay?"

"Yeah," she said, waving at hand in the air. "I'm fine. I just didn't expect to fall like that."

"She shouldn't have shaken the ropes so fucking hard." He took her hand, leading her to the trainer's room.

"Jon, I'm fine, honey." She pulled her hand from his, feeling cold as soon as their contact ended. "Really, I am good. You took most of that. You should be checked. Look," she said, pointing to his elbow. "It must have caught on a corner of the steps."

He glanced down both his bare arms, seeing what she was talking about. His elbow had some blood seeping down it. He didn't even feel when he hit it; All he was worried about was her.

"I'd rather injure myself than to have your face smashed into metal steps," he told her, stepping closer to her.

Her breathing calmed a bit as she felt his warm breath on her face. She was touched that he had been thoughtful enough to stop her from crashing down. She didn't even want to know what damage could have been done. Kissing him was what she wanted to be doing. Instead, she whispered out something she could barely hear herself. "Thank you."

"Rita!"

Randy's bellow ripped through her thoughts, her body jumping at the sound of his voice. _Shit_, she thought. Randy surely saw how close together they were. How could he have not seen it? She and Ambrose were standing out in the open, for anyone and everyone to see. She took a step back as he approached the two of them.

"Baby, are you alright? That could have been dangerous."

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said, her hand dropping from the back of her head. "Jon prevented anything bad from happening." She turned to Ambrose, giving him a weak smile before Randy grabbed her arm and pulled her away.

"""""

Randy paced in front of her, at a complete loss of words for what he had seen earlier that night. He looked at her sitting on the edge of the hotel bed. Furious was a mild description to how he felt when he had seen her so close to Ambrose.

"What was it about, Ri?" he finally asked her.

She swallowed hard. "He was just seeing how I was after my match."

"How you were?" he repeated. "I saw the look in his face. He want to fuck you right in the hallway."

"He did not. Randy, it's not a big deal."

"Not a big deal? Rita, I saw the look in _your_ face." He stopped pacing, stepping up to her. "I saw the look you were giving him."

"What are you talking about?" She attempted to stand, but his hand forced her to sit back down. "Randy, I wasn't looking at him in any type of way. I was grateful that he had the wherewithal to stop me from cracking my head open on those steps."

Randy took a slow, deep breath in, his patience with her reaching its limit. "He had his hands all over you. All over you, Rita, and I don't like it."

"Well, fuck," she said, dodging her way around him and throwing her hands up. "He's not touching me anymore. So what's the problem?"

His eyes transformed to being snake-like as he turned to face her. "Problem? What's the problem?" Backing her up to the wall, he grabbed a fistful of her hair. "My _problem_ is that I have a girlfriend who thinks it's okay that she has eyes for other men." He tugged at her hair. "And it's _not_ okay."

"Randy, stop!" she screamed out, trying to pull his hand from her hair. "Let go!"

"Goddamn it," he cursed as he released her. He turned away from her, only to spin right back. But it was too late... She was already trying to leave. "Damn it, I'm sorry."

"No." She steadied her breath before speaking. "I'll put up with pretty much anything, Randy. Anything." She held up a hand, a threatening glare cast on him. "Any little thing you want to throw my way. The other women. The reality that you just didn't want to settle down. I get it. You didn't want to make that mistake again. I understand that."

"Rita – "

"No!" she shouted. "But I will _not_ put up with you putting your hands on me because you're angry that someone else sees in me what you didn't want to."

He tried grabbing her arm as she headed towards the door. "Rita, don't go."

She evaded his hands, making sure she had her phone on her before she opened the door. "I dealt with that shit enough in my lifetime, and I refuse... _refuse_... to do it again."

Watching her leave was the worst. And knowing he was the cause was even worse. Hearing the door slam devastated him. He knew he was ruining what they had with his jealousy, but he couldn't help himself when he saw that scumbag with his hands all over Rita. He couldn't contain the envy, the fact that he just wanted to keep her all to himself.

But knowing that she didn't walk back through that door... It killed him inside. He couldn't stand the deafening silence of the room anymore. She was supposed to be there with him. But once again, Ambrose had found a way to worm himself between them. If it wasn't for Ambrose putting his hands on Rita, touching and feeling her, Randy would have never hurt her.

Beyond infuriated now, he grabbed his jacket and he, too, left the room.

"""""

Jon's heart raced as he thought of the encounter with Rita. Granted, it had been in front of tens of thousands of people in a venue for a pay-per-view, but it felt like for just those few seconds, they were alone. And he could still feel her body on top of his. It felt so good to have her there. It felt natural, like it was supposed to be. They were meant to happen, but unfortunately she couldn't see that. Not with Orton in her face. She wouldn't see it until Orton was gone from her everyday life.

Even that was not enough to subdue the feelings he was having. He wasn't lying when he told her that he had never felt like this towards anyone else in his life. It scared him, and as he flicked the ashes from his cigarette, watching them flurry into the night sky, he realized that if he didn't have Rita in his life, things would be worse. He would settle for being a friend... or whatever he was to her. He didn't know. He'd been ignoring her up until this point out of fear of more rejection.

He made a resolve to himself that he would talk to her, apologize for being the backside of a donkey to her. He didn't even know what made him act like that to her. All he knew was that he needed to correct it. He needed her to believe in him. He knew she could do it. Rita was already something special... She just needed to be his someone special.

"""""

Rita tiredly pulled her luggage into the arena. She was immediately directed to where Stephanie was. Thinking the worse, she walked the long way to the office she was in. Stephanie greeted her with a hug and offered her a seat.

"You look... tired," Stephanie commented, taking in Rita's frazzled appearance, knowing it was extremely uncommon. "Long night I suppose."

"Very," Rita confirmed. She had spent the night with Trinity after walking around the town for a good two hours. It was almost as if Trinity knew she was stressed, because as Rita was walking back to the hotel to grab her bags, she received a phone call from her. She didn't reveal all the details, just the fact that she and Randy had an argument, and Trinity instantly offered her room.

"Well," Stephanie continued, realizing that Rita wouldn't say much more than that. "I just wanted to tell you that you did a great job on your match last night, and that we were extremely pleased with the results. I spoke with Trinity earlier, and she told me that you had a rough night last night. So, we're not putting you on the card, instead you'll be coming back next week to challenge for your title rematch."

"At the next pay-per-view?"

Stephanie nodded. "Yes, and we'll figure out what will happen soon. But," she said, an unusual uncertain look on her face. Rita didn't like this at all. Stephanie paused, biting her lip for a split second. "We saw what Jon did."

"Yeah, he stopped me from breaking my face."

"That he did," Stephanie agreed, briefly tapping Rita's knee. "But we also saw more."

Rita tilted her head. Stephanie wasn't going to say what she thought Stephanie was going to say. So, she let her friend continue.

"We saw the romance line," she simply said, her nose scrunching in a smile as she saw Rita's jaw drop open. "Isn't that great? We've got some fantastic ideas."

Rita swallowed the lump in her throat, giving Stephanie a false smile. No doubt their fantastic ideas would involve Ambrose being romantic with her. She wanted to stick around and talk with Stephanie some more, but after hearing the news of her soon-to-be new storyline, she couldn't stomach the thought. She had to get out...

"""""

Ambrose saw Rita step out of the building, slowly finding her way to a grassy spot near the curb. She sat down, the beige and brown leather bag that she always carried slouched between her legs. Placing the cigarette he was puffing on between his lips, he shoved his hands into his jean pockets and made his way over to her.

"Can I sit in desperation with you?" he asked once he stood over her. She looked up at him, her eyes such a brilliant shade of green in the daylight.

"Sure," she said, straightening her leg out so he could next to her.

"I'm guessing you heard?"

She nodded her head as he took another puff. "I'm sure either Colb or Joe will be thrilled."

Ambrose turned his head towards her, a wiry grin on his face. He laughed at the wide smile she flashed him, turning his attention back to his cigarette.

"You know we'd make an awesome couple," he said without thought.

"On screen, sure. But I think off screen, I'd find myself being too dependent of you."

The sarcastic expression on her face made him laugh again. "That's the good, ole Moxley for you."

"Oh, he was such a lovable character, I could easily fall for him."

He nervously flicked around his cigarette, his hand twitching as he did so. His face fell flat, far removed from the joking between them. "Why didn't you?"

She tried to resist looking at him, but found that she couldn't. "You're intriguing, Jon," she said slowly as she looked over his features. "But I know nothing about you."

"You could learn," he said, brushing the tip of the cigarette over a blade of grass. "I doubt that you knew Randy when you first met."

"No, I didn't." She turned away from him. "But he was different."

"And I'm not?"

"Rita!" Trinity called from inside the parking bay. "Stephanie wants you!" She waved frantically at Rita. "Come on!"

Ambrose quickly stood, holding his hand out to Rita. She looked at him warily for a moment, deciding to grab his hand so he could pull her to her feet. The two followed Trinity back into the building, Rita finding herself in front of Stephanie, who was on the phone, within a few minutes.

"What's going on?"

"Your new line," Stephanie said shortly, holding her finger up. Rita glanced at Ambrose as Stephanie ended her call. "Okay, now, we've thought out some things. Let me know what you think."

"This romance thing?" Ambrose asked, placing his arms over his chest.

"Yes," Stephanie answered sharply. "We were thinking that you all could do a promo next week, except it won't have you, Jon. Instead, it will be Rollins and Reigns with you, Rita, in a vow that you'll take back your championships."

Stephanie pulled Rita down to sit next to her as they talked. Ambrose stood to the side of Rita, carefully listening. They were planning to break up the faction of The Shield, that much he already knew, but it was going to be in such a way that never crossed his mind.

"So basically, I'll be the reason why it will be broken up?" Rita asked, a sad look on her face. "I kind of don't want to be disliked for breaking up such a great group."

"Don't think of it like that, Rita," Ambrose said placing a hand on his chin. "I think it'll be a great line, Steph."

Stephanie looked up him, a smirk on her face. "You're just happy you'll get to kiss Rita."

"Steph!" Rita exclaimed, embarrassment creeping over her. "So, hold on, after Jon drags me away, what happens then?"

"Glad you asked that," Stephanie said, straightening the tablet she held in her lap. "You'll be taking a couple of weeks off. You deserve it, and probably really need it."

Rita nodded her head, her bottom lip poking out. "Promo, rematch, dragging," she replayed. "Sounds good."

"Alright then," Stephanie smiled out. "Should be a great show tonight then." Lightly slapping Rita's knee, she then stood and walked away. Rita sat there, listening to Stephanie's heels click away, when Ambrose dropped his face next to hers.

"I'll drag you away, honey," he mumbled in that deep voice of his that sent shivers down to her toes.

She watched as he, too, walked away. She couldn't help but stare at his backside. The way his jeans clung to him... It was second only to him wearing those black pants he wrestled in. She was in heaven every time she saw those pants on him. Annoying or not, he was extremely sexy. She may have wanted to deny her attraction to him, especially now, but she couldn't begin to deny the sex factor he had.

Shaking those thoughts out of her mind, and ignoring the heat she felt from his rumbling voice, she stood to head to the locker room and change into her gear.


	9. Chapter 9

Rita looked around Randy's house, fancily wrapped boxes and a massive bouquet of roses on his kitchen island counter catching her attention.

"Randy!" she called out, knowing he was home. Sliding out of her jacket, she placed it over a kitchen chair, sitting her bag in the same chair as well, before making her way to the upstairs.

Randy was talking to someone on the phone, a smile in his eyes as he spoke. He saw her as she opened the bedroom door wider.

"Yeah, I'll be there later this week. I have a few days off, and I planned to spend them doing something special with my lady," he said to the person on the other end, giving Rita a wink.

She smiled, and when his call ended, she pointed her thumb over her shoulder. "What's with all that stuff down in the kitchen?"

"I got you a few gifts. Come on, I want you to open them."

She allowed him to take her by the hand, leading them down to the kitchen. There were several small boxes laid out on the counter top.

"Randy," she sighed out as she sat on a bar chair in front of the island. "I told you that I didn't need anything."

"I know," he said in a low tone, licking his lips. "But I just felt so bad about what I did." He reached over the counter to hold her hand. "I didn't mean to hurt you, baby. The reason why I wanted you to come out was so we could spend some time together. It feels terrible when you're mad at me."

Her free hand had gone up to her forehead, her head leaning on her arm. "I'm not mad at you. Disappointed maybe, but not mad." Her hand dropped to hold onto his. "If that happens again though, I'm gonna kick your ass."

She untangled her hands from his, grabbing one of the boxes. Pulling off the paper revealed a jewelry box. A beautifully polished cherry wood jewelry box. There was a glass window on the lid, allowing one to see inside the top compartment through an intricately woven design cast in gold. The bottom half of the box had a gold lock, which required a key.

Randy turned to open the cabinet next to the coffee maker. "Here," he said, placing a golden scroll key on the counter. "Because you have the key to my heart."

His wide smile made her smile, and she took the key and put it on top of the jewelry box.

"No," he said, holding his hand out to her. "Open it."

Rita looked at him cautiously, her emerald eyes dropping back down to the wooden box. When the lock clicked, she opened the box, gasping as she saw a beautiful ring, one she always liked. A large green quartz stone surrounded by diamonds. She let the box shut, shaking her head.

"I can't, Randy." She handed the wooden box back to him.

But Randy was confused, not accepting the box from her. "It's yours, Ri."

"I can't accept it." She stood, leaving the jewelry box sitting on the counter.

"Rita, what do you mean, you can't accept it? I bought all this for you."

"That's just it, Randy," she said, backing away from the counter. "I don't want anything from you. I told you that I didn't. All I wanted from you was you."

She turned to the kitchen table, grabbing up her jacket and bag.

"Well, wait a minute, Ri," he said, holding onto her arm. "I thought we were going to spend some time together. I did all this for you!"

"Please, Randy, just let me leave."

"No!" he nearly shouted, roughly pulling her body to his. "Why do you want to leave? Huh? I do all of this to apologize to you, and you just want to leave? What is it, Ri? What have I done to you?"

"It's not you, believe me." Her efforts to separate herself from him were futile.

"Then what is it? You've been in love with me for three years, and now we're finally together and you don't want it?" He looked desperately into her eyes. "I'm not understanding it, please. Explain this to me."

"I can't explain it," she started before he finished talking. "It's fucking everything. It's the fact that I know you don't _really_ want this." She leaned on kitchen table, feeling as though her legs would give out.

"What are you talking about? I have wanted this just as much as you have. For as long as you have."

"That's a lie, Randy, and we both know it." She could almost feel the hatred in her eyes being projected onto the man standing in front of her. "You used your marriage for an excuse as to why it wasn't happening before, and blindly, I accepted that, but now that your marriage is over, the aspect of me being your other woman is just annoying to you now."

"You were never my other woman! I told you when we started this, me and Sam were separated for a year!"

"Oh, so I was just supposed to hold it down while you were messing with other women then?" She laughed despite herself. "Now I know how Sam felt."

Randy was fuming, her words hitting deeper than he wanted them to. He squeezed the top of her arm, shaking her. "You have no idea what I went through."

"No," she said trying to buck her arm away from his hand. "But I know you, Randy. You have secrets. Don't think that I'll ever believe that I will be only woman in your life, now or ever. I've spent too much time around you not to have learned the game you play at."

Randy stared her down, detesting that those green orbs of hers were spitting flames at him. He had never seen her like this before. She had changed. He released her arm, not knowing if he was alleviated by her slamming the front door as she left, or if he were just as apprehensive about their situation. The passion between them was turning its back on them, biting them both in the ass.

"""""

Returning to work after she had spent a few days at home was a little sad to Rita. She just wanted to crawl back into bed and sleep a few more hours. She had done her best to busy herself. Cooking, baking, cleaning... Hell, she even thought of repainting the outside of her house. Perhaps a different color other than the taupe that currently graced her siding would cheer her up. But the lack of time due to her being called back onto the road had prevented her from doing so. Maybe she'd get to do it when she had her vacation in less than a month's time.

She didn't even want to think about Randy. He had called her, of course, and while she didn't answer any of his calls, she did listen to the voice mails he had left her. About ten of them during the first day they were supposed to have spent together; All of them apologizing. She didn't want to hear any of it though. It's not that he didn't sound sincere, because he did; It was just that he sounded different to her. So distant and foreign to her... It was all too strange for her.

Right now, she was to headed to hair and makeup, already geared up for the promo they were to cut. The guys had lost their tag belts last week, and tonight they were to hype a match that they would announce would happen at the next pay-per-view. It was a huge match, unlike one they'd ever done before, and she was excited for the moment to come. But for now, she sat in the uncomfortable chair, as Felicia, the makeup girl, made her look acceptable.

"There's my pretty mama," Reigns said approaching the area. He held out his hand to her, Rita sliding her hand over it.

"You boys feeling good? Felicia, why don't we do it kind of dark? I'm supposed to be imposing, and I can't look like that if I look like I'm wide-eyed and bushy-tailed."

Rollins laughed out, stepping behind the chair Rita sat in and placed his hands on her shoulders. "You're foxy, but you don't look like one," he joked.

She relaxed some as she felt him rub her neck. "Foxy Shield members can't do, Colb."

"We should find you a tail to pin to your shorts," Rollins said, looking at her through the mirror she held up. "But yeah, we're doing good. I'm feeling good anyway. How are you feeling, big guy?" He turned to Reigns, thumping him on the chest.

Reigns flexed his arms some. "Feeling great."

"That's good. You know what would feel even better?" she asked, glancing to her side at Rollins. "If you were to finish rubbing my shoulders." She motioned him to get back behind her. "That felt great."

"Would you look at that, Joe?" Rollins said with a sigh, shaking his head. "I'm her personal masseuse." Despite his complaint, he did as he was told, rubbing his gloved hands on her back. "Not even getting paid for this."

"Oh, you love it," she breathed out, keeping still as Felicia applied a bronze lip stain.

"""""

It was dark in the area they were to record their promo in, only a single light hanging overhead provided any beam from the dimness. She stood in the middle, where Ambrose normally would, Reigns on her right and Rollins to her left. It was decided at the last minute that Ambrose would laze around behind the three, holding his title. Rollins was the one who held the camera as they began talking.

_"Last night,"_ Rollins started out, _"was only the beginning for you, boys. But at WrestleMania, your beginning will have a quick end."_

He turned the camera past Rita towards Reigns. She closed her eyes, thinking of something to say.

_"We will get our titles back. So enjoy them while you can."_

Rita then grabbed the camera, placing it to center her. Her eyes popped open, the green of her eyes darkening intensely. She could hear Ambrose in the background as he took the creative liberty to talk nonsensically, vocalizing an agreement as he randomly tapped on metal objects.

_ "And Naomi, you can perform all the kicks to the back of my head... You can have your little friend try to ruin me, to drag me down... You can try to pull out all the tricks, all the stops, but I will take my title back from you."_ She felt Rollins pat her on the shoulder, and she was suddenly nervous that her voice was too raspy._ "I hope you think it's fun to be the women's champion right now because our rematch will be anything but."_

Reigns roughly faced the camera towards him as usual. _"Believe in the shield."_

He pointed the camera away from them as it ended. Rita blew out a breath of relief, her shoulders slumping visibly as she relaxed. Rollins placed his arm around her, bringing her into a hug from their sides.

"You seriously look like you could use another back rub," he told her, then turned her gently to face him. "Really though, you were great. Where'd you learn to talk like that?"

She blushed, glancing down at the floor. "My voice was cracking up."

"Nah," Reigns dismissed. "You sounded great. Guys would go crazy over that."

Smiling softly, giving both guys an appreciative nod, her vision focused on Ambrose, who was still hanging in the background. He looked sad... or pissed off. She couldn't tell.

"""""

Jon watched Rollins put his arm on Rita. Balling up his hand, he placed into the palm of the other, the irritation setting in. He didn't even know why it upset him so much. She was with Orton. The question he asked her last week lingered in his mind. She hadn't answered him. Hadn't been able to at the moment. Why hadn't she fallen for him? She knew him in the independent circuit... Correction; She knew _of_ him. They had never really spoke.

Looking back, he wish he had. He thought she was beautiful back then. What captured his attention about her first was the tattoo she had on her left leg. In the rare chance he ever saw her without her wrestling boots on, it tickled him that she would have a tattoo. It was a girlie one, sure, even though she never came off as being a girlie-girl; But he figured it must have represented something to her. It was a cherry blossom, its tree branches and flowers blooming up her leg in a sporadic, intricate twist. He guessed it started on her foot, but he had never paid attention to her feet.

He would, though... He would pay attention to every detail of her body. When he finally had her to himself. However, the thought of relishing in her body were pushed to the back of his mind as he heard Reigns say something to her. That comment didn't help his anger any. He ignored it though, walking with the trio as they returned to their locker room.

"I hope they're happy with that," Rita said, taking a seat in front one of the empty locker spots.

"They'll be ecstatic about it," Rollins said as he relaxed on a seat with a bottle of water. "I mean, I've heard you cut a promo before, but that was great."

"Nah, you know about it, Colb," she said with a wave of her hand. "How the indies teach you to be mean."

"Lovely ladies aren't supposed to be mean," he joked. "Remind me to never get on your bad side."

Rita smiled at him, a soft laugh leaving her lips as she took a sip of her own water. The awkward feeling of Jon's eyes on her made her shift around in her seat. He sat across from her, legs out, ankles crossed. It looked as though his eyes were closed, but she knew him better than that. They were barely open and focused straight on her.

She hesitated to stand, knowing that his eyes would follow her. "I'm gonna go see what Steph thinks of it," she said uncomfortably. "I'll see you guys later."

When the door shut behind her, Reigns turned to look at Jon.

"You're scaring her, man," he simply told him.

Jon slowly shook his head from side to side. "Nah, she's not scared of anything. You should watch some of her indie shit."

"Well, she's not all that cozy with you staring at her like your name should be Wyatt instead of Ambrose. Be easy with her, man," he added.

Jon looked up at the big Samoan. "She'll be fine."

"""""

"Right," Stephanie confirmed in a hurried breath. "It'll be at the end of the match." She stepped aside so a stagehand rushing past her wouldn't run her down.

"This is so crazy," Rita said.

"So exciting though," Trinity commented from behind Rita. "Can't wait though."

"Girls, I'm needed elsewhere," Stephanie quickly said as she let her phone drop from her ear. "Is everything clear? Do you need me to go over something again?"

"No, no, Steph," Rita said, placing a hand on Stephanie's arm. "I think we've got everything down."

"Definitely," Trinity agreed.

"Good," Stephanie said as she turned away. "I'll see you both after your match then. Good luck!"

With that, Stephanie walked away from them. Rita turned a nervously twisted face to Trinity.

"You ready?" Rita asked.

"We don't really have a choice, now do we?"

Rita jumped in place for a second, trying to relax herself. Rollins walked up to her, grabbing a hold of her arm.

"We're up in the next few minutes," he told her, his face close to hers. "We need to make up to our spot right now."

Rita nodded, giving Trinity a quick hug before following Rollins up to where they would make their entrance through the crowd. Once up there, she nervously peaked out of the black curtain.

"It's freaking packed," she said in a low voice. "Jesus, like I wasn't worried enough over the match. I'm going to look like an idiot in front of all these people."

"No you're not," Rollins quickly said. "Stop all that negativity. You're going to do great."

She exhaled, feeling better about their upcoming match when Reigns and Rollins stood at either side of her. She knew, if anything, they would at least make her look good. After that near-fiasco at the last pay-per-view, she didn't need to trip up again. Another mishap wouldn't be good for her.

Rita pushed out first, Rollins and Reigns a step behind her, the three making their way down through the people. They climbed into the ring, awaiting their opponents. Trinity came out first, Ariane dancing beside her with bright, multicolor pom-poms shaking wildly. The two stopped at the bottom of the ramp, looking behind them slightly as the camera in front of them panned back up the ramp.

The twin Samoan brothers then came out, performing a dance longer than their usual routine, and eventually ran their way down to slide into the ring. Trinity followed suit, backing up in the corner, opposite the side where the Shield trio stood, the brothers standing in front of her. Ariane took to ringside to cheer her team on.

_"The following is a mixed tag team match for both the women's and the tag team championships! The first participant to gain a pin fall or a submission will be declared the winner... "_

Rita zoned for a minute as she listened to the ring announcer talk. The crowd cheered tremendously for Trinity and the brothers. Snapping out of her trance when she felt Reigns pat her on the pat, she started off the match with Trinity. She toyed with Rita the first few moves, and after a couple of minutes, Rita received a dropkick that sent her tumbling back into her corner. Rollins leaned over the top rope, slapping Rita's arm.


	10. Chapter 10

Laying on the mat was all she could do for a few seconds, catching her breath. She knew the final move that was to be done on her was about to happen when she saw one of the brothers, Jon, climb the to the top turnbuckle. She felt the other, Josh, grab her legs, lifting her up to hold onto her mid-section. Jon played up the crowd for a moment before taking the dive down the mat. She knew he tried not to land on her so hard, Josh also helping in trying to soften the land.

It hurt regardless, and she felt her back connect flatly to the ring. She then heard the screaming of Michael Cole as he announced the fourth member of The Shield coming down to the ring. Closing her eyes, she felt the familiar hands grab her and pull her from where she lay. He was shouting at the other two members, telling them to move away. Rita saw him push Rollins, all in character, then he pulled her up into his arms.

_"Are you okay? Cherie! Please! No, get away!"_ Ambrose swung an arm wildly.

Getting her mind back into character herself, she nodded, falling to her knees as she was pulled out to the mat surrounding the ring. Ambrose's hands pulled her back up to her feet, and she felt her body melt into his as he hugged her. He was still shouting, still pushing away Rollins and Reigns. Then came the moment she knew would happen, but it was all too soon...

He swooped her down in his arms, fiercely pressing his lips to hers. The crowd went insane and she could see flashes going off all throughout. Their kiss went on longer than it should have, but eventually he broke it and hoisted her over his shoulder. As planned, he leaped over the barrier, somehow keeping her balanced on his broad shoulder. He still kept in character, yelling at his faction members, who were standing in the ring.

As Ambrose turned to walk them back up through the curtains, Rita saw the sight in the ring. Reigns pushed his hair out of his face, a disappointed look on his face over Rita being taken away. When he turned around in the ring, Rollins turning around as well, they were both met with a dropkick from the brothers. Reigns was pushed out of the ring by Josh, and Jon covered Rollins for the winning pin.

"""""

The crowd seemed to be excited over the result of the match, but in the backstage area, it was completely different for Rita. Randy had watched the entire thing, and he was not pleased.

"What the hell is that, Steph!"

"Randy, Randy," Paul tried to intervene. "Calm down, it was a spot. Okay? They both agreed to it."

"Agreed to it? You made her kiss that _motherfucker_!" He kicked a trash can in the hallway, the bits of trash in it sent flying down the tiled floor. "She agreed to it?!"

"Yes, Randy, she did," Stephanie said. "And what you need to do now is get ready for your match."

"Fuck my match!" He stormed out of the area. "Where is he?!"

He spotted Rita not a minute later, Rollins embracing her, saying something in her ear. She nodded and patted his back with a hug of her own.

"Rita!" he shouted, causing her to jump.

She held out her hands to him, the anger she saw in him unreal. "What?"

"What do you mean, _what?_ Have you lost your fucking mind?"

"Hey, Randy, that was an awesome match," Rollins said, trying to divert Orton's rage towards Rita. He didn't exactly know all about their relationship, but possessive didn't begin to describe how Randy was over her. On their championship title tour, it could have fooled him if Randy's arm hadn't literally been glued around Rita's waist.

Paul had followed Randy in the path of destruction to finding Rita. Stepping in between Randy and the three that had just put on a great match, he pushed Randy back.

"No, get off me, Paul! Where is the motherfucker! I'm gonna kill him!"

Rita grabbed her neck, watching her boss have to pull Randy away from where they stood. She hated him like this. He had never been this way before. She waited until she could no longer hear Randy yelling before talking.

"Thanks, guys," she said softly. "I'm sorry for that. You didn't need to see all that."

"Hey, I don't blame him," Reigns said, placing a hand on her shoulder as they headed to their locker room. "A beautiful girl like you... Would be a shame to lose you."

"""""

Rita knew sharing a hotel room with him could be a mistake. He was so full of rage after seeing her kiss with Jon. But it was all for the show. It was part of the match, of this storyline. It wouldn't have been the same without it. No, she hadn't told him about it, and as she sat on the bed, waiting for him to step out of the shower, she guessed she should have.

All running thoughts in her mind stopped when she heard him say her name.

"What were you thinking?" he asked, his voice eerily serene, especially after the showing he gave in front of their co-workers and bosses.

She sighed, not wanting this moment to happen. Couldn't he just let it go so they could get some sleep? "It was part of the script."

"And you thought it was okay for you to shove your tongue in his mouth?"

She looked up at him, her jaw defiantly set. "There was no tongue involved," she truthfully told him.

"Oh, so that makes it better, right?"

"It was just a kiss, Randy."

He slipped into some loose gym shorts. "You wouldn't like it if I did that, even if it was for a script, and you fucking know it."

"Maybe not," she admitted, "but I wouldn't have embarrassed you in front of everyone tonight."

"Trust me, honey, you won't be embarrassed until I get my hands on that piece of indie trash."

Rita felt her nose flare up in anger. "He is not trash."

"Sticking up for your boyfriend now?" he mocked, clicking his tongue. "Rita, I try so hard for you. I try so hard to make you happy. To give you the nicer things in life, and what do you do?" Shaking his head, he laid down on the bed next to where she sat against the headboard, his arms propped behind his head. She remained quiet, looking at him from the side. "You want to go running off to that garbage."

"I am not running off with him. It was a kiss, a scripted kiss, and if you can't fucking handle that, then maybe you should find someone who wants to be stitched to your ass."

"You mean like you were?"

Talking – no, arguing with him about it was proving hopeless with him. Randy wasn't going to listen to her now, maybe not ever. Everything with Randy now seemed hopeless, and she felt absolutely helpless. She felt powerless in this downward spiral they were spinning in. He seemed completely oblivious to the fact that she was unhappy with it all... or perhaps he just didn't care. Sometimes, she believed he never really cared for her.

Sinking down under the fluffy comforter, she turned her back towards him. She didn't want to talk to him anymore. She didn't want to deal with this anymore. Randy might have been more refined, brought up in a world where the spotlight never left the top of his head, but right now... Rita would much rather prefer being with the "indie trash" from Cincinnati. At least Jon knew how to cherish what he had.

"""""

Rita listened to Paul as he told her the plans for tonight's RAW. She was, in fact, scheduled for one more appearance. A short skit where Ambrose would take her away. Randy, of course, wasn't be happy with this, but at least he knew in advance this time. Paul made sure of it. None of them wanted a repeated of Randy's rage from last night. She concentrated to the directions of what she was supposed to do, the door to the office catching her attention.

"Randy," Paul said, holding a hand out to him.

Randy shook Paul's hand, tilting his head towards Rita. "Go change into your gear and meet me in my locker."

She ignored the look of sympathy Paul gave her, and did as he said, exiting the room. When she was finally snapped into the nylon vest, a white tank top underneath, and her black shorts, she was slipping her boots on when she saw Trinity pull a chair up in front of her. Turning the chair backwards to Rita, she sat down.

"Everything with Randy good?" she asked Rita. "Joe told me what happened after the match. Glad I missed that blow up."

"Wish everyone else missed it too," she commented, humiliated by the situation all over again. "I just don't know why he has to show his ass like that."

Trinity nodded her head. "Yeah, I mean, it was a fantastic match." She stood when Rita did after she was done lacing her boots up. "I appreciate you working with me so much. Enjoy your time off."

Accepting the hug from Trinity, she put on a smile. "You enjoy that title, girlie. You deserve it."

"Thank you," Trinity brightly grinned.

Rita hurried out of the women's locker room. Any other time, she would have been happy to stay with Randy in his dressing room. Now, with him acting like how he was, she didn't even want to be around him. She was glad that she'd been gone for a couple of weeks after tonight. She desperately needed the time away from him.

"""""

The singles match between Rita and AJ had started a few minutes ago. Rita was instructed to turn her attention to Tamina for tripping her while the referee wasn't looking. Sliding out of the ring, she pushed Tamina slightly, but before Tamina was able to reciprocate the shove, Michael Cole started shouting that Ambrose was coming down the ring from the audience.

He came up from behind Rita, wrapping his arm around her waist, taunting to Tamina.

_"No, no,"_ he told her, in character. He pointed between Rita and him. _"We are outta here!"_

_ "They're leaving?"_ she heard Michael Cole ask from the announcer's table as Jon pulled her towards the barrier. AJ stood in the ring, her hands up in the air, a baffled look on her face. _"Dean Ambrose, taking Cherie Greene away from the ring. I have no idea what's going on here, folks."_

Instead of jumping back over the barrier, he pulled her by the waist to follow him up the ramp. She pretended to be confused with her hand on her head, looking back and forth between him and the ring. She screamed at him, shouting his name as he continued to pull her away.

There was a waiting camera behind the black curtain for them. Ambrose knocked into it, causing it to shake as it captured their exit.

_"Dean! Dean, stop it!"_ she shouted in character, struggling against him. He stopped suddenly to press her up against the painted brick wall of the corridor, planting another kiss to her lips. This one, however, was not scripted to happen. The crowd cheered though as they watched on the Titantron, looking on as Ambrose resumed pulling her into the parking garage.

He ignored her, yanking open the backseat door of a black SUV and pushing her inside. She stumbled backwards onto the seat, moving her legs just in time of him slamming the door shut. He patted the window, his hand smudging the tinted glass. Opening the driver's side door, the sound of Rita calling out sounded, being cut off by Ambrose shutting the driver's door even harder.

The camera followed them as the black vehicle sped away, the screech of tires the last thing to be heard before they cut to commercial break.

Rita sat up in the seat, holding a hand to her chest as she laughed. "That's going to look fucking awesome." She straightened herself out, hastily unbuckling the nylon vest and removing it from her shoulders. Leaving the vest in the backseat, she boosted herself into the front passenger seat. "Bet they'll love that."

"I bet you I'll be fined for that little impromptu moment."

She couldn't help but laugh some more. "Oh, I'll be getting hell for that too," she said as she untwisted the white tank top that seemed to wrap around her. "It was worth it though. Did you hear the rumble of the crowd with that?"

He smiled, glancing over at her as he made a turn. "No," he said. "I was too busy listening to my heart jump up into my fucking ears."

Her own heart thumped in her chest as she looked over at him. Putting a smile over the serious expression on her face, she looked at the street ahead. "I'll tell you what you will be fined for," she started cautiously. "Not turning back around."

He shrugged. "Fuck it, I wasn't planned to do anything else. The boys can have their match without me."

"""""

They found a cozy little diner not too far from the venue. While Jon had turned off his phone, Rita sent a text to Stephanie.

"I kind of wish I hadn't put our phones in the car now. Do they have to know?" Jon asked her as he raised his eyebrows. He fiddled around with the fork and knife that was wrapped up in a napkin.

"I'd prefer not to lose my job because a certain someone doesn't want to be found in the world, yes. Besides, if you knew you were planning this, you should have at least told them."

He laughed, tilting his head down. "I highly doubt you'll be the one they fired. Like they would really keep a loser like me over you."

"Oh be quiet," she hushed. "You're not a loser. They value you, and you know it." She placed her phone onto the table, resting her hands in her lap. She looked around the diner with a subtle smile. "I like this place. Reminds me of home."

"Philly, right?"

She nodded. "Yeah. No place like it."

He huffed, blowing out a breath from his top lip. "Tell me about it. I loved being there."

The tension she felt from sitting there with him was lifted some when the red-haired waitress brought their drinks over. The woman, around Rita's age, popped the gum she chewed as she pointed pen to pad.

"And what can I get you two tonight?" she politely asked.

Rita looked over the menu once more, making her decision. "I'll have a patty melt, no onions please."

The redhead nodded, jotting down on her ticket pad. She looked towards Jon expectantly. "And you?"

"Uh, I'll have a club sandwich," he finally said. He held his hand out towards Rita, pointing to something on the menu. "Let's split a basket of mozzarella sticks, what do you say?"

Rita nodded, "Sure."

"Great, I'll have it right out to you," the bubbly redhead said.

"Shouldn't cost too much," Jon said when the waitress walked away. "Glad you didn't order something that costs like, a hundred bucks. Or better yet, a salad."

"Hey, I like salad," she defended. "Just as long as they have some type of meat. And I'm paying for my own meal, thank you very much."

"No way," he said, holding up his palm to her. "I'd never take a lady out and expect her to pay for her own food."

Rita's throat suddenly went dry. _Calm yourself, Rita._ This wasn't a date. It couldn't be. They were in a random diner, in a random city, in a random state. Not exactly how she had pictured their first date. Wait... had she even pictured their first date? _No... no, I haven't._

"So," he said, catching onto her silence. His phone beeped and vibrated, signaling a message. Checking it, he laughed out, showing her the screen. "Colb said you're trending worldwide on that Twitter shit."

She rolled her eyes, sipping from her straw. "If this whole social media crap didn't put us at the fan's fingertips, I wouldn't even care about it."

"Yeah, I noticed you love interacting with everyone."

"Oh, it's fantastic. Isn't it awesome to you how someone just believes in you so much? If it's one thing they did get right, it's the fan events." She looked down, twirling the straw wrapper in her fingers. "Did they tell you what will happen with this line we're doing?"

He sat back in the booth. "No idea. I just know I won't be getting time off like you. My guess is that they'll have a turn on me, and then I'll be out for a week or two."

She wanted to ask him if he wanted to spend a few days with her in Philadelphia. He seemed to like the area she called home. But as she parted her lips, the red-haired waitress came back with a tray perched on her palm, and one of those folding serving stands. With a chew of her gum, she popped the stand open with the flick of her wrist and placed the tray on top.

"Patty melt," she said as she placed down Rita's plate. "And a club. Here's your cheese stick basket, and drink refills." After everything was placed down, she stuck the tray under her arm and gathered the serving stand. "Enjoy."

She smiled at the couple and trotted off back behind the service counter.

"She awfully fucking happy to be working this late," Jon said, shoving a fry into his mouth.

"""""

Rita didn't feel like spending her first day of her time off going to Randy's. But here she was, making the drive from the airport to his house. The trip itself was so familiar, so well-known to her that it didn't bother her. What bothered her was when she pulled up into the driveway of his house. He didn't know she was coming over, but considering he had three days off, she figured he wouldn't mind.

The metal ring that held all of her keys jingled in her hand as she walked up the front steps to unlock the door to let herself in. She hadn't even bothered bringing her bag in; She wanted to grab a few items she left over his house and then leave. She agreed with herself to only stay if he wanted her to stay... which was highly unlikely after another blow up over the second kiss on RAW two nights ago. And when she refused to tell him where she went afterward... Well, she really needed to stop pushing him.

"Randy!" she called out as she had so many other times before. Her feet stomped up staircase, and she entered his bedroom. She heard the shower in the master bathroom running, and she tapped on the door, "Randy, I'm just going to get some things, and then I'll be going back to Philly."

She turned from the door, heading over to his dresser and pulling open a top drawer. What she saw in it surprised her. The jewelry box she refused to take from him. She lightly fingered the intricate detailing over the glass window before grabbing the item she came for.

"Rita?" the female voice said from the now open bathroom door. Rita turned sharply, looking over the brown skinned girl. Her dark, curly hair dripped with water that was fresh from the shower.

"JoJo?" The shock Rita felt jolted down to her toes and made its way back up through every part of her body. This girl was naked, showering, in Randy's house.

"Randy's not here right now," she said, tucking the fluffy towel tighter on her body. "He went to the store."

"Oh," Rita said, her head tilting up in confusion. She jabbed her thumb over her shoulder, pointing towards the dresser. "Well, I just wanted to get a bracelet that I had here." She swiftly turned back, shutting the drawer. She tried her best not to look at the girl that Randy had invited over as she crossed the room to leave... Clearly, he had moved on. But JoJo's soft, nervous voice stopped her.

"Rita?" She uneasily rubbed her arm. "How did you get in here?"

Rita paused at her question. If she were just another step further, she would have been out the bedroom door. Cursing under her breath, she turned to face the other woman.

"I have a key," she told the younger girl. "I've had it for years." She fumbled with the large metal ring that held her keys, feeling her heart twist as she took off the key ring that had Randy's house key on it. In three strides, she was standing in front of the girl, the hand that held his house key in offering. "But I guess I don't need it anymore."

JoJo held out her hand, unsure of Rita's reaction. She hadn't known that Rita and Randy were serious. She let Rita drop the key into her hand, watching the older woman as she turned on her heels and walked out of the bedroom.


	11. Chapter 11

_**A/N:** If you're ever straddling the fence about how Ambrose is in this mess of a story of mine, think of his Moxley days in the indies. That's how I mostly know him from following his independent promotion days. You know, the Moxley we saw in CZW... Thank you for taking the time to read, and as always, enjoy!_

Truthfully, she had wanted to grab a whole lot more than just a single bracelet. More jewelry, the few clothing items she had there, even her freedom from Randy. But that was given to her without her even knowing. Any possibilities of talking to Randy were thrown out of the window. He couldn't come up with a reason, an excuse why there was another woman in his home... Not without lying anyway. The scene unfolded itself, revealing everything to be as it was. By the looks of it, Randy made his choice, and it wasn't Rita.

Rita could laugh at herself as she replayed the situation in her mind. Seeing her co-worker naked from the shower with just a towel wrapped around her small body wasn't even the confusing part... Randy had a weakness for women; She understood that. She had been Randy's flavor for a few years, and he no longer wants that flavor; She could deal with that. But what she couldn't comprehend was the fact that calling Jon had been the first thing on her mind as she fled from Randy's hometown.

Jon would have been there in a heartbeat, willing to do anything to make her feel better. She hadn't cried about knowing Randy was done with her. A part of her was pleasantly relieved, thrilled even that he had done this for her. In fact, she should thank him for doing something she no longer had to do. Anything that alleviated the weight on her shoulders from being called Randy's girlfriend... Anything that took away from the pressure of having to deal with him.

And now she stood in her kitchen, making her dinner. It was oddly serene spending time alone. The television was turned on, the volume down low. Her phone, which sat in a basket on the end of her kitchen counter, had been long turned off. Randy had started calling her while she was driving home from the airport in Philadelphia. She didn't want to talk to him... There was nothing to talk about.

Asking Jon to visit her was lingering in her mind still. But he was still traveling for work, and wouldn't have any time off until the middle of next week. She didn't know why she wanted to be around him, but after dealing with Randy these past couple of weeks, Jon was beginning to look normal. The delay of getting to know him though, as decided by the strange quietness in her home, would end. She could use the cheering up anyway.

"""""

Jon swiped his sweaty hair from his face with a white towel. Tonight would be his last match until the pay-per-view after next. It had been scripted that Reigns and Rollins turned on him for taking Rita the previous week. While they vowed to take him out and get her character of Cherie Greene back, his character was to drop the title he held, and simply go away. He would have a couple of weeks downtime, and then eventually come back. Paul had brought up a few ideas to him, ones that had yet been run by Rita. She would give them some insight once she returned though.

The pang of loneliness he felt without Rita traveling with them... He couldn't control it. And didn't know why. Sure, she had spent that night at the diner with him, but he was almost certain it was because she didn't really have a choice. He had driven off, all caution thrown into the wind. Of course, he had been fined for taking off like that. But to him, it was twenty-five hundred dollars well spent. He wouldn't hesitate to do it again.

After showering and dressing, he sat in the locker room, scrolling through his phone. His thumb landed on her name so many times, dying to call her, to ask her how she was and what she was doing. He didn't even notice Rollins and Reigns entering the locker room.

Reigns looked at him once, instantly knowing what his friend was thinking about. "Just call her," he said. Jon looked up at him, his blue eyes filled with a heaviness.

"I want to call her, but... " He sighed out, leaning back into the locker seat. "I just can't."

"Why can't you?" Rollins asked as he packed his bag. "I'm sure she wouldn't mind."

Jon looked between the two of them. "I'm sure she wouldn't mind either of you two calling her."

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Reigns asked, although he didn't really care for an answer. "Look, Jon, we're her friends. But that's all it will ever be. I don't know how, or why, but there seems to be something special between the two of you."

Jon scoffed at that. "She's got her special with Orton."

Rollins' head tilted to the side. "Didn't you hear?"

"No," Jon said with a shake of his head. "What?"

"She isn't with Randy anymore," Rollins informed him. "Didn't you see her Twitter? She said something about being independent and free from third generation chains."

"You know I don't check that shit," Jon put in quickly before his mind started racing. He looked down at the phone in his hands, his thumb now lingering over to call her. He could do it... He just... God, he just needed to talk to her. Grabbing his bag, he stood. "I'll see you guys in a couple of weeks."

The two men patted him on the shoulder as he left the locker room.

"""""

An early night. That's what she needed. RAW was still on, having only but twenty minutes left, but she was too mentally tired to watch it anymore. One would think she wouldn't bother watching it, but seeing Jon on the program had been the highlight of her day, even with him losing the United States belt. Another quiet day at home it had been for her. Maybe tomorrow she would see to going to some independent wrestling shows. There was bound to be a show or two somewhere in Philadelphia.

Lugging her way to her bed after changing, she sighed with content as she sank down into the puffy comforter that graced her bed. Her eyes closed, and her mind still going, she thought of when she would return to work. Stephanie had sent her an email earlier in the day, telling her of a few storyline ideas. They hadn't really stuck out to her, they usually never did, but one in particular caught her attention. The idea of having two Shields. It would be her and Jon versus Rollins and Reigns.

"Ohh," she mumbled out, her mouth pressed against the comforter. "Even when I'm not at work, I'm at work. Jesus, please, Rita. Just go to sleep."

Her phone rang just then, the screen making her dark bedroom glow. She answered it, not bothering to look at the bright screen.

"Randy, I will talk to you when I get back."

The deep voice she heard replying back to her though, made her stop from ending the call.

_"It's not Randy."_

She sat up straight in the bed, every other thought clearing from her mind. "Jon?"

"_Well, I hope no one else is using my number,"_ he chuckled. _"That would, like, suck."_

She smiled, forgetting he couldn't see it. "W-What are you calling for? Aren't you still at work?"

_"Nope,"_ he said in short. _"I'm now a free bird for the time being."_

"You and me both," she said before she could stop herself. He was quiet for a moment.

_"I heard,"_ he finally said. _"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to get in between whatever you two had... "_

"Jon," she said, cutting him off. "Jon, please. It had nothing to do with you. I know where I stand when I'm committed to someone. Randy, however, doesn't." She paused, inhaling a deep breath. "He had someone else over his house. When I left there, I just decided to leave it all behind."

He was silent again. Rita could only hear the shuffling of his phone and the distinct noise of a blinker.

_"Well,"_ he began as he continued driving. _"I didn't want to bother you while you were off. I just wanted to see how you were."_

"Oh," she said sadly, feeling her heart drop. "Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks for caring."

Just as she thought the call would end, he said her name again.

_ "Would you mind if I invaded your space?"_

Her brows furrowed. "What?" She heard him sigh.

_"Can I come over? You know, to your house. I'm on my way to the airport now. I can just get a ticket and spend some time with – "_

"I'd love it if you came over," she said, the smile on her face so wide, it hurt her cheeks.

_"Great,"_ he said, Rita being able to hear the happiness in his voice. _"You better not leave me at the airport. I'll find you anyway."_

Her head tilted to the side. "That's a little creepy, Jon," she laughed. "But I'll be there to pick you up when you land."

_"Great, I'll see you then."_

Their call ended, and Rita slapped at her comforter, squealing out in excitement. Where RAW was hosted wasn't that far from her. The airport was less than an hour away though, so she wasn't in a rush to get dressed again. She did take the time to make sure her house was clean before her guest arrived, and once that was done, she headed off in her car to retrieve Jon.

"""""

When he hopped into her Jeep, he did a double-take, looking at her more closely.

"What are those?" he asked, his deep voice sending a shiver down her back.

She shook it off, glancing at him for a minute before emerging into the early airport traffic. "What are what?"

"You wear glasses?" he asked more pointedly, still staring at the black rectangular spectacles.

"I'm supposed to," she answered easily. "Why?"

Jon laughed, shaking his head. "I've just never seen you wear them. Ever. I had no idea."

"Oh, dear Jon," she said with humor. "My vision is a blurry sea of objects."

"You wear contacts then?" He adjusted himself in the seat as Rita shook her head no. "How do you wrestle if you can't see?"

Her lips twisted into a demented smile. "I use my sonar to echo sound waves off of my opponents, you know," she said matter-of-fact, "like how the dolphins do."

Jon let out another heartwarming laugh. "You're fucking insane, you know that? I would have never thought you wore glasses."

"Sweetness, you'll learn a lot about me during your stay."

"Yeah, I guess so." He was quiet for a minute, as if he were thinking about something. Then, he pointed a finger towards an exit sign on the highway. "Speaking of which, that town... The hotel I booked is there."

"Hotel?" she asked, ignoring his point. "I feel insulted now."

He looked at her incredulously. "What? Did you want me to stay with you?"

Rita shrugged, pushing up her glasses with the tips of her fingers. "I've got a four bedroom house. Not but three houses on the whole street. Mine sits on the corner, and I have my own pond."

"Sounds like a sweet deal," he said nodding. "I'd be a fool to stay anywhere else."

They arrived back at her house in a half an hour, the rugged Jeep crawling its way over the gravel driveway. Jon grabbed his bag and followed her to the inside of the house. He looked around, instantly feeling welcomed by the warm tones and atmosphere of the house. It truly felt like a home. Like a family lived there, sharing their moments together. But wait... Rita lived here alone?

"Just you, huh?" he asked, shuffling his way into the hallway that led from the front door. Down the hall, he could see double doors that must have led out to the backyard area.

"Saw it and couldn't resist," she told him. She made her way into the kitchen, watching Jon as he stood next to the staircase. He was still looking around the house, taking in everything he saw. "It was relatively cheap, but I guess that's because it's not technically in the city. I got a deal."

"I can see," he said, finally walking into the kitchen to sit in a chair at the kitchen table. "You do all this yourself?"

She nodded as she watched him point to the walls. "Mhm, whenever I have downtime, that is what I do. I like home improvement projects. For being an older home, I don't really have any issues with it," she shrugged. "You want coffee or anything? Breakfast?"

"Nah," he said holding up his hand. "Not really hungry."

"Well, here," she said, walking back through the kitchen, her hand held out. "Let me show you the upstairs, and you can pick whatever room you want."

Jon stood, following her lead. The staircase, which was lined a step up and over from the door, led up to a hallway with five doors. Each bedroom door was open, showcasing the picture-perfect bedrooms. The bathroom door, which was at the very end of the hallway, furthest from the top of the steps, was closed.

"You don't have to keep this shut when you're not using it," she told him as she swung it open. "I just have a habit of pulling it to." She turned to him, the morning sunlight filtering through the small window on back wall of the hallway.

Rita was even more beautiful to Jon, and now that she was opening up to him, opening up her home to him even, his heart beat for her even more. She was kind and gentle. Sweet and caring. Nothing what Orton deserved. He deserved a taste of his own medicine. He deserved whatever personal hell he was currently putting himself through for letting go of Rita. And Jon couldn't help but feel a burst of happiness knowing that Rita could possibly be his now.

He couldn't deny that when he heard they were official, and suddenly at that, his heart had sank to an all-time low. At the time, he didn't know what to think of it. He hated it. He despised it. He wanted it to end. For them to tell him it wasn't really true. Just thinking back to it made his heart dip, but seeing her here in front of him as he stood in her house... He couldn't help himself any longer.

His hands tangled in her short hair before he could stop himself, and his lips pressed against hers so hard that he thought he would bruise her lips. What felt even better than her lips against his was the fact that she didn't resist him. She didn't pull back and try to stop him. He tried peeling himself away from her though after a moment, tugging on her hair.

"I don't know," he breathed out heavily, "if I'll be able to keep my hands off you."

Rita watched through nearly closed eyes as he walked into the bathroom and shut the door. The thought of Jon staying with her was never a second thought in her mind. In fact, she could admit that a tiny part of her wanted this. She wanted him to want her. The only doubt in her mind had been the fact that she would use Jon. He might not see it that way... but she would.

"""""

Though it was still morning time, Rita was ready to get back into bed. By the time she changed into the shirt she slept in, Jon was standing in the doorway to her bedroom. His arm was leaning against the door frame as he watched her pull back the golden comforter to her bed.

"Yes?" she asked as she looked over at him. "Do you need something?"

He was quiet a moment, suddenly running a bit to dive onto her bed. Rita's laughter split the quietness as Jon made his way to lie next to her.

"Comfortable bed," he said as he laid his on a pillow and closed his eyes.

"You know there's three other rooms," she said, yanking the pillow out from his head and mildly hit him with it. She tossed it to the floor, watching as he grabbed the pillow that was behind the one she threw. "The other beds are just as comfortable."

He folded the pillow in half and laid his head on it, his eyes still closed. "Yeah, but they don't have you in them." Turning to his side, he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close to his body. "Do you always smell like a bakery?"

"A bakery?" she said, craning her neck back some to look at him. His blue eyes popped open to look up at her. "What, because I'm a little chunky, I have to smell like food?"

A laugh rumbled in his chest as he pressed his face to her warm flesh. A tingle came over Rita as she felt his lips trail down her stomach. She stopped him from going any further when she grabbed his head, his face gently cradled in her hands. He didn't say anything as his sapphire orbs stared at her.

"I never know what I'm getting myself into, do I?" she whispered, her eyes taking in every facial detail of his. "It's like I constantly make the wrong choice."

She saw hurt flash over his face after she said that. His lips parted in thought, and she gave him a moment to let what she said sink in. He looked away from her, a exhaling a deep breath as he pulled away from her. He laid his arm over his eyes, feeling a headache coming on.

"And I'm the wrong choice, right?" he finally said. "Very few things have ever gone my way, have ever even been good for me, in my life. Raising myself as a kid... Not something I would have voluntarily done. It probably wasn't good for me either." He removed his arm, staring up at the smooth, white ceiling. "But there's one thing that I feel has never let me down, and that's wrestling. It kept my life on track. Kept me with a vision in my line of sight so I could keep reaching for something better. It got me out of that shit hole that I called a home for too many fucking years."

Rita had pushed the blankets off of her, sitting up so she could listen to him. When his blue eyes focused back to her, she felt her heart hammer inside of her chest. She felt like she understood him, although she didn't suffer through a horrendous childhood as he had.

"And the best part about it, the best thing it ever brought to me," he continued, resisting the urge to pull her to him, "was you."

She lowered herself, her face leaning over his, and their lips nearly touching. She didn't know what to say to him. She only knew that her heart pounded in her chest whenever she was around him. When they began the storyline of her becoming a fourth Shield member, she would have never thought it would lead her down this road. She really would have never imagined that it would all but force her to second guess Randy. Even one aspect of her life that had Jon in it had rippled through the rest.

With her fingers softly grazing over his face, she spoke to him.

"I didn't know it would go this far. To be honest with you, I didn't want it to. You pissed me off from the start." She took her hand away, remembering when she had hit him. "Can I ask you something though?"

Jon nodded his head, shifting uncomfortably as if he knew what she would ask. "Yeah, anything."

Taking a deep breath, she paused, thinking of how to ask her question. There was no nice way to put it. "Why did you... react like that when I slapped you? Being angry was one thing, but... I saw something else in you."

He closed his eyes, regretting putting his hands on her like that. She was right; It was something else in him. But he certainly didn't want it to be malicious towards her. He never wanted to hurt her again. He wanted to show her love, yet revealing how he truly was didn't seem like the best thing to do. It was now his turn to be silent, lost as to how to respond to her question.

Rita ran her hand back down his face, her thumb gently settling on his lips. "You can tell me," she said as if she were reading his mind. "I want you to."

"You want me to tell you," he rumbled out lowly, his eyes still closed. "But you don't really want to know."

"Why would I ask if I didn't really want to know?"

"No one wants to really know me," he said quickly. "Don't push it if you're not ready for it."

"Ready for what?"

Without warning, his hands reached out for her, and he settled her warm body on top of his. Her hands pushed off his chest as she tried to shift her weight on him.

"You won't hurt me," Jon whispered to her, pulling her even closer. "I know you won't, and I know you're not ready to know me."

Her legs fell, thighs straddling over him. Something was coming over her, like she already knew him. "Show me."

A growl emitted from his throat, and he didn't think twice about ripping the shirt from her body. Rita even lifted her arms up, allowing him to take it off with ease. It was a beautiful sight with her seated on top of him, bare chest, even if her arms had come up to crush against her breasts. Jon tilted his head in amusement.

"You can't be shy," he said, taking a hold of her arms and lowering them. "You have cleavage on display all the time."

"I can't help that," she said in a voice breathier than she would have liked. "That just happens. A man staring at my titties when I'm half naked doesn't just happen."

"No," he said pulling her body back down for a kiss. "And it better never happen with another man again." His hands came up to hold on to either side of her face. "I'm the last one, do you understand?"

She nodded, not even realizing that a certain part of Jon was pressing against her between her thighs. He shook her head slightly, wanting to hear the sound of her voice as she gave into him.

"Say it," he demanded.

"Yes, Jon."

"Good," he said to her with another kiss. "Now, stand up."

She immediately complied, standing to her feet. Jon laid his head comfortably on his arms as he took in the view, a blissful grin on his face. Rita was fit, but extremely curvy. Buxom is what came to his mind as his eyes reached lower and lower down her body, glazing over her full and natural breasts, down her stomach, skipping past what hid between her thighs, down to her feet. Her left leg caught his attention, the story behind the tattoo with shades of pinks and reds being kept in his mind for a later time. What he wanted more right now was hidden underneath a thin scrap of cloth.

"Take off your panties."

Rita hooked her thumbs on the sides of her panties, and with no second thought, pushed them down her legs, kicking them aside with her foot.

"Good girl," he said, beckoning her with his hand. "Come here." She seemed hesitant to walk back over to him, looking over his fully clothed body, but he reached out for her hand, pleased when she let him take it. Swinging his legs over the edge of the bed, he pulled her to stand between his knees. He nestled his face to the soft skin, turning his head to the side to watch her hand come up.

"May I touch you?" she asked in a low tone.

Taking his head away from her body, he looked at her, no doubt in his mind that she was his now. "Yes," he told her. "Whenever you want."

He let out a breath when he felt her fingers comb through his hair. Something so simple, she did so gently. The kisses he started again down her belly as her hands massaged his scalp. Lower and lower his lips went, until they reached her moist folds. He felt her hands urge him on, his tongue lightly lapping at her center. She let out a moan that encouraged him even more, and he worked at her core, nibbling and biting.

"Jonny," she breathed out. He looked up at her, seeing that her head was thrown back. "Please."

He stood, taking a hold of her hips and directing her to a wall. "Turn around and face the wall."

She did as she was told, pressing herself against the cool wall as she felt his hand against her back. He grabbed her hands, holding her wrists together with one hand. The sound of metal clicking together rang in Rita's ears, and she knew he was unbuckling his belt. A shot of excitement ran through her body as she felt him press against her.

"Do you feel this?" he asked her, pushing himself closer to her. "This is the love I have for you. No one else will ever have this besides you." His hand reached up into her hair, turning her head so he could look at her. "Do you understand?"

"Yes, Jon."

"Good," he growled out, letting go of her hair and her wrists to strip himself of the shirt he wore. He quickly kicked away his pants, taking a hold of her wrists again which were still perched against her backside. Holding his cock just outside of her heat, he could feel her anxiously awaiting him.

Rita stopped herself from grinding against him. He wouldn't like it if she tried taking control. Instead, she all but smashed her face against the wall, heavy breaths escaping her lips. He was teasing her, prodding against her entrance to see just how long she could go without him. From her angle, she could see him, a delicious smirk on his face and his dark blue eyes concentrated directly on her.

She felt herself shaking with anticipation. His large hand came up, only to land with a harsh crack on her plump cheek. She cried out, a delectable sensation vibrating through her. It was when she noticed the same hand rub up her back and grasp her neck from behind, holding her still against the wall, did she feel completely helpless against him. She was paralyzed with the fear that she was completely at his whim. He could do anything to her, and willingly, she would allow it.

She allowed Jon to take over her, giving herself freely as he finally sank into her. She felt like she would collapse right on the spot, but he managed to hold her up, bracing her with his body. The feeling of him pumping in and out of her... his hand tightly around the back of her neck... and then him holding her arms together... It was all too much for Rita, and she screamed out in pleasure.

It was music to his ears to hear her cry out his name. Over and over as he relentlessly thrust into her. It was something that he could only hope to ever have with her. She gave herself completely, with no question and no hesitation. Rita was exactly what he needed in life. She was all he ever needed. And he needed more of her.

Stopping his movements, he freed his hands from holding onto her, gently wrapping his arms around her waist and bringing her back towards the bed. She was able to catch her breath for a moment as he positioned them. He lie on his back, Rita sitting on his cock with her back towards him. She took upon herself to start moving on him, feeling his hands run up her back. When she felt him grip her hips, forcing himself deeper inside of her, she tossed her hair to the side and rode him.

Jon thought he would lose his mind feeling her warmth around him. He reached up, taking a handful of her raven hair and pulled her down backwards to him to whisper in her ear.

"Who do you belong to now?" he asked her, nibbling on her earlobe.

"You, Jon." She let out a breath as Jon's arm came up over her neck. His other hand moved its way between her legs, his fingers rubbing furiously at the sensitive nub within her fold. She started crying out again, his name leaving her lips like it was the last thing she'd ever say. She couldn't prolong the tightening feeling any longer, and with a pinch of his fingers, she was sent over the edge, reaching a cloud so high that her entire body shuddered around him.

"Oh, yes, Rita," he called out, loving how she clenched around him. "You're mine now, aren't you?"

She held onto his arm with both hands as it tightened around her neck. "Yes, baby. I'm yours."

Her breathy words were the undoing of him. Words he had wanted to hear for months. Words that he should be hearing. And with one last extremely hard pump into her, he released himself, letting himself go entirely within her body. Everything around him was lost, his mind thinking only of Rita. His hand ran softly from between her legs, up to the valley of her breasts. She was his, and the whole world would soon know.


	12. Chapter 12

_**A/N:** Such a delay, I know, I'm sorry! With the holidays finally ending, my husband's birthday, grocery shopping, an issue with one of the dogs, and actually rewriting what happens next in this story, I was just wrapped up in things I didn't realize it had been a couple of weeks already. Thanks to LivHardy and to msgemgem for their reviews. msgemgem, she won't be a staple in this story. Just an appearance here or there from what I'm working out in my mind. I'm not particularly crazy for her either - sorry to all the JoJo fans. Thank you to all the readers for taking the time to read this, and I hope you enjoy this one!_

Rita woke up, feeling a warm arm wrapped around her waist. Oddly enough, it didn't belong to who she thought it did. The memories flooded back to her. This morning... picking Jon up late last night... Seeing that Randy had so quickly moved on from her... It hurt her, even now. She hadn't wanted things with Randy to end like that, and she still hadn't talked to him about it. She ignored him, wanting him to soak in everything that he had brought to himself.

He was at fault for this. For their relationship... for their friendship falling apart. Randy should have known better than to try to make something out of nothing. Benefits should have been all they ever had with each other. And now, the anger surged through her as she thought about him even asking her to be his... Why ask if he wasn't going to remain faithful to her? Stupid ideas... Stupid thoughts. They should have just stayed as ideas in her mind. She'd be better off right now.

Rita looked over to her left, the sandy blond-haired man laying next to her... She felt herself heat up at the mere thought of him touching her, caressing her body. What was even better was the fact that Jon had made it known to her from the very start how he wanted things to be. Jon wanted her all to himself. He wasn't going to be satisfied with her or himself if he couldn't have her completely. Jon wasn't going to think it was okay for either one of them to continue sleeping around.

No, sharing themselves with other people wouldn't be decent. It amazed her how she had known Jon but a fraction of the time she knew Randy, yet in that shorter amount of time, Jon had made it more clear to her where they stood. If she didn't realize it this morning, she totally understood it now... Randy had lost her. There was no getting her back.

Carefully, she pushed his arm away from her, slowly standing up. Or trying to anyway. Her legs wobbled beneath her, the slight ache between them making itself known as she made her way into the master bathroom. She turned on the shower, welcoming the warm stream of water to soothe her tense muscles. Either Jon had worked her better than she thought, or thinking of the entire messed up situation with Randy just tired her out.

"""""

"Rita?" Jon mumbled out, his arm swiping over the empty spot next to him. His head popped up from the pillow beneath it, and he glanced around the room, not seeing a trace of her. Beyond her empty place in bed, he saw that their clothes were still strewn over the carpet. He thought it was odd she didn't pick them up, seeing to how immaculate the rest of her house was. The foggy thoughts of Rita squeezing herself around him finally cleared from his mind, and he was able to hear the shower running.

He stood from the bed, rubbing the sleep from his eyes, and made his way over towards the open bathroom door. There, he saw her shapely figure through the wavy plexiglass shower. Her elbows were raised above her head, shampooing her hair. He stood there leaning against the door frame, watching as she rinsed the suds from her hair. When he saw her slide open the shower door a bit and her hand reach out for the washcloth placed on the ledge of the tub next to the shower, he stepped up, grabbing for her..

"Fuck it, Jon!" she shouted out at the feel of his hand on hers. She snatched up the beige cloth, hastily pulling her arm back into the shower.

"That was the gist of it this morning, yeah," he grinned, amused at her reaction.

"Oh shut up," she quickly said. "Don't scare me like that."

Jon didn't know why, but he felt good when she didn't immediately shut the shower door on him. Placing his hand on the edge of it, he slid it open more. "Can I join you?"

"If it would make you shut the shower so the cold air doesn't get in, then yes."

Rita watched him carefully as he stepped inside, the warm spray of the shower soaking his hair as he bent down to kiss her. He shut the door, closing them inside a moment of intimacy. Jon's actions sent a chill down her spine, and a throbbing between her thighs that made her once more aware of how sore she was. It had been their first time together, yet he was unrelenting on the amount of effort he put into pleasuring her.

She pulled back from him, looking down, almost ashamed with herself for wanting to deny him.

"Rita," he said softly. "It's okay. I won't do anything that you don't want. That's not how this works."

Not saying anything, a bit confused over his words, she soaped up the washcloth. Her hands were gentle as she ran it over his skin, going across his chest, down his stomach, reaching behind him even as she washed his bottom and back. They were pressed together, water seeping between their bodies, and Jon couldn't have been more relaxed.

His woman washing him. She was caring for him in ways he truly never had before. In ways he believed he wouldn't get from anyone. She reached down to gently scrub his legs, lowering herself next to his most private area. She could have taken him right then, knowing he wouldn't deny her, but she resisted. Resisted from breaking these shower walls riding him against him.

He pulled her up the arm, taking her bottle of body wash and returning her the same kind favor. She wrapped her arms around his neck, throwing her head back as his hands worked lower down her body. Her cheeks flushed as she felt his hand slip between her thighs. But he didn't do anything more than wash her. Biting on her bottom lip, she moaned as he rinsed her free of soap.

"You okay?" Jon quietly asked her as he reached behind her to turn off the water.

She nodded, slowly bringing herself back into reality. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Did I hurt you last night?" When she nodded again, he felt his heart drop into his stomach. But as she spoke again, the happiness in her emerald green eyes said more than she ever could.

"And it felt so good," she told him. Pulling herself away from him, she opened the shower door, stepping out around him. She grabbed a towel from the linen cabinet first for him, and then for herself. He accepted the towel and watched her as she wrapped hers around her body.

Rita left the bathroom, stepping into her bedroom for clothes. He remained in the warm bathroom, drying himself off. Though he was relaxed, a thousand thoughts ran through his mind. He wanted so much from her, but he didn't want to scare her away. He would give her as much time as she needed to adjust to him being in her life. It wasn't easy to let someone in a world that was kept private. Though, he would gladly open up like a book to her. He had nothing to hide from her.

"Do you want me to bring your bags up here?" Rita asked him, breaking him from his thoughts as she leaned in the bathroom doorway.

"No," he said, shaking his head. "They're too heavy for you."

"A few hours in me and you already forget what I do for a living," she mocked with a laugh as she left his sight again.

"Just bring me something to wear!" he called out after her, knowing she was going down to his luggage.

"""""

"You sure you want to leave?"

Jon heard the sadness in her voice as she spoke. They were halfway to the airport now. He figured the faster they got there, the less it would sting when he did leave her home. It felt like he belonged there, and being with Rita was something so thoughtless and natural. Why Orton let her go, he didn't really know, and didn't care. All Jon knew was that he would seize any opportunity to be with her.

"Do I _want_ to, no," he replied, roughly sweeping his hair out of his face.

"We can always turn back," she told him with a sad smile.

"I have things to take care of at my place," he said. "Besides, you should enjoy the rest of your little vacation without someone bothering you."

That made the corners of her mouth drop. "You didn't bother me, Jon," she said, taking a hold of his hand and squeezing it gently. He ran his thumb over the smooth skin of her hand, but he pulled away from her, watching as she placed her hand back onto the steering wheel.

"You should enjoy your time alone," he simply said.

Distancing himself was something he was good at, and right now, he needed to do just that. Sure, he had claimed Rita was his, but he knew it was only a matter of time. A matter of time before Orton put his grip around her again. There was no way he could compete with whatever relationship thing they had for the past few years. He didn't want to compete with Orton trying to buy her out. Now that he had seen her home, Jon knew that Rita wasn't the overly fancy type. She was simple, earthy even.

He noticed her shift uncomfortably in the driver's seat of the Jeep. She had pushed the sunglasses that adorned the top of her head down over her eyes, and she was fidgeting some more as her hands squeezed the steering wheel. If he didn't know any better, he would have thought she wanted to cry. Rita crying over him was not something he wanted to think about. But the small sigh that escaped her lips as she flipped on the blinker for their exit confirmed his thoughts.

When they entered the ring of traffic at the airport, he hoped that she would drive around a few times just to prolong their time together. She didn't, however, slowly approaching an empty spot near the entrance to the terminal. Her hands dropped from the steering wheel, falling into her lap with a sense of retreat.

"Hey." His voice rumbled lowly within the space, the tips of his fingers bringing her chin up. "Don't be sad, sugar. We'll see each other in a week."

Rita's lips pouted. Those lips... They alone made him want to stay. The faster he left her car, the easier it would be. He brought her closer as he leaned in, his lips covering her sweet ones.

"You need help?" she asked when they finally pulled apart. "With your bag."

"No, darling." He exited the car, and after grabbing his luggage, he started walking away, waving at her. A week was all he had to get his head straight about Rita. He couldn't fall for her. She wasn't available. An infatuation is what it was. It was hard to ignore the passion that sparked between them though. How does someone walk away from something that strong? After having her even for just one day, he knew this was going to be harder than he imagined. He could feel it in every single bone... They belonged with each other.

"""""

Returning to work was welcomed. So far, Rita hadn't bumped into Randy, and if she were completely honest with herself, she didn't want to see him. Ever. She just wanted to dive head first back into the grind of things. The chatter of the other girls around her faded from her mind as she changed into her Shield gear. Stephanie had already pulled her aside earlier not five minutes after she entered the building to explain to her what she would be doing. She was more than mentally prepared after hearing that she would kiss Jon again. After spending such an intimate time with him last week, it was the physical aspect of it that she was worried about.

Jon could make her body feel things that she didn't even know were possible. Whatever he had awaken in her, she couldn't contain it around him. She didn't want to make herself look like an idiot in front of the RAW audience tonight. It didn't help that she received a few comments, some a little more catty than others, from a few of the girls tonight. It was almost as if they knew that she and Jon shared a moment together.

She pulled out the nylon vest, then stored her bag away. Heading towards the locker room door as she slid the vest on, she was walking down the corridor as she pulled it tightly over her chest.

"Rita!"

The voice sounded almost hateful as it called out to her. She stopped in her tracks, quickly snapping the plastic buckles together as she slowly turned around to face the man who said her name. He didn't bother saying anything as he roughly grabbed her arm and pulled her along with him. She nearly tripped over her own feet as he all but dragged her down the corridor, only letting her go when they were inside of his dressing room. He let the door slam behind them, and turned fiery blue eyes to her.

"Thank you for being so gentle with me, Randy," she sarcastically remarked as she rubbed her arm where his hand had wrapped around it.

"What the fuck have you been doing?" he asked, ignoring her.

"No, really, I appreciate it."

"I'm not fucking around, Rita!" He stepped closer to her, the anger in his eyes becoming even more noticeable. "You haven't answered my calls for three fucking weeks!" Backing her up to the wall lined with metal lockers, he pressed himself against her. "Where the fuck have you been?"

"I was at home, you know, that house you never really went to because you're too fucking uppity to visit me," she snapped. "Or maybe it's because your house has revolving doors, open to any female that wants to come through."

Randy looked away from her, sighing as he backed away. "I swear, Rita, I didn't know she'd still be there."

Rita's brows crinkled. "She was there, Randy. Period. That's all I will ever need to know."

"You're taking this where this doesn't need to go," he told her.

"You've already taken it there when I saw her coming out of your shower. I'm sure she'll love spending just as much time with you as I have," she said, crossing her arms over her chest. "Will she last as long as I did? Did you get another stupid one that will stay with you regardless of anything else, including her own dignity?"

"Oh, come on, Rita."

"No. Did you? One that will ignore her own emotions just for the sake of making you happy?"

"I don't want you to ignore how you feel, Rita," he stated, becoming irritated with her. "You know I love you."

"I'm sure you do, just like you love the rest of them, right?"

Randy stood in front of her once more, and she could see he was clenching his teeth. "Where is all of this coming from?" he asked her. "You spend a few weeks by yourself and you've had some sort of revelation about the world?"

"Who said I was alone?" she spit out before she could stop herself. The veins in his neck popped, rage coursing through them.

"Who?"

"Seeing to how you invite your little girlfriends over, it's none of your business who I invite to my house."

His hand suddenly collided with the metal behind her. She flinched, swallowing a gasp as she saw the metal door pop from her peripheral vision. It swung open away from her and came to a slow stop. She didn't even have to see it to know there was now a dent on the door. Adjusting herself against the wall, she looked down between their bodies.

"You better not be seeing him, Rita."

His threat was crystal clear. Rita knew exactly what he meant. Saying that she wasn't seeing Jon would have been the truth. Telling him that she didn't want to see Jon would be lying. It would just be best if she didn't give him any answer. It was unknown even to her what she and Jon were. Shuddering at the thought of being a fuck-buddy to someone _else_, she didn't say anything as she removed herself from the wall and walked out the door.

"""""

Rita sat on top of stage equipment boxes, watching as Rollins and Reigns cut their promo. They were no longer after the tag team titles. Their latest conquest was the destruction of CM Punk and Daniel Bryan. She had seen their tag matches in the few weeks she spent at home. The chemistry between the four were undeniable, although she honestly thought the character of Dean Ambrose would have been better suited instead of Roman Reigns. But understanding the logic of the WWE Creative team was never something she could do.

Though she liked Reigns, she had to admit that having four wrestlers that had known each other in the independent scene prior to signing to the WWE would have been better off. But Creative's decision to pair up her character of Cherie Green and Dean Ambrose excited her just as much. As much as she loved her off time with Jon, she enjoyed working with him that much more. Several months ago, if anyone had told her that she would actually enjoy being around Jon, she would have punched them. She really should thank Stephanie...

Her thoughts were brought back to the scenario at hand as Rollins and Reigns walked up to her.

"You're back!" Rollins said, patting her on the thigh. "It was empty without you here."

Reigns was tall enough to give her a slight hug. "How was your time off?"

"Pretty good," she smiled out.

Rollins nudged Reigns, laughing. "That's more than we can say about Jon."

Rita froze at his words. Had he told them? She didn't take Jon for being one to reveal all of his private moments. Maybe he had told them what happened, but not the person it had been with.

"Yeah, man," Reigns said, his lips curling in that sensual way they always did. "Don't know what's up with him, but he's all twisted."

Rita laughed nervously. "More than he already is, you mean?"

Rollins placed his gloved hand on her leg, obviously thinking of his friend's behavior. "Way more than that." His other hand tapped Reigns on the chest. "Hey, you think he met someone?"

Rita's eyebrow shot up and she folded her arms in front of her. "What do you mean, met someone? He was with – "

Reigns and Rollins both looked at her, waiting for the words to come out of her mouth. The grin on both of their faces told her that they were wanting some confirmation of something. She scoffed, jumping off the equipment box, a sarcastic grin of her own on her face.

"Very funny, guys," she said as she stood in the middle of them. "You almost got something out of me."

"So, there is something to get then?" Rollins prodded some more. He laughed as Rita turned to him, playfully pushing him in the chest.

"Were you guys up to anything else besides making trouble for nearly a month?" she asked, the smile still evident on her face.

"Now, Rita, you know better than that," Reigns joked.

"Speaking of knowing better," Rollins started, poking at her arm. "Did you not work out at all while you were home?"

"No," she answered shortly, rubbing her arm where his gloved finger had jabbed her. "I didn't. I kind of didn't think about work at all."

"Yeah, I can see that." He laughed when Rita's arm wrapped him into a headlock. "Maybe you should ask for another week off to regain your strength." She squeezed her arm tighter, making him tap on her forearm. "Okay, okay, you still have that awesome strength of yours."

"Damn right," she said as she let him go. "And you better not forget it."

"We're needed," Jon's voice said from behind her, making her jump and spin around to face him. "At gorilla."

"Okay," she softly said, accepting Jon's arm around her shoulders. "See you guys out there."

Jon waved lazily at them, turning with Rita. The two watched them disappear around a corner, Reigns with his hand on his chin.

"How long until they figure it out?" he said.

"I give it until tonight," Rollins answered. "If starting this storyline doesn't make them realize it, we may have to bash their heads together."

"""""

Randy thought he heard Michael Cole wrong, but when he stood in front of the monitor and watched as Rita slowly walked her way down the ramp next to Ambrose, his blood began to boil. It seemed as if Paul and Stephanie were determined to ruin the relationship he had with Rita. He didn't care what she thought; She was still his. Ambrose was talking on the microphone to the two of his former faction members in the ring.

_"You see, guys,"_ Ambrose wrapped up his little speech, Rita right by his side. _"What you didn't understand... What none of these people could ever understand... Is that me and Cherie were sick and tired of the two of you taking our spotlight."_

_"Taking their spotlight?"_ Cole put in with the brief pause Ambrose took as he and Rita entered the ring.

_"We are sick and tired of being the secondary half to this group, the group that would be nothing without us. We make the two of you interesting."_ Ambrose had an expression on his face that Randy couldn't even begin to read. _"We make the two of you exciting. Without the two of us... You'd be the garbage that the authority throws out every week."_

Ambrose's words were met with an eruption of jeers from the crowd. Reigns held his arms out, shouting something that was unheard clearly while Rollins stepped up with another microphone in his hand.

_"That's the problem with you,"_ he started in on Ambrose. _"You always think everything is a joke. We'd be nothing without you? Is that what you really believe?"_

_ "Yeah, really!"_ Ambrose shouted, being heard without the microphone up to his mouth. His lips were twisted into a sarcastic grin.

_"Really?"_ Rollins continued. _"Because what I believe is that you took Cherie, and you kept her away all to yourself. You wanted this to happen, Dean. You knew this was going to happen, and you didn't care one bit."_

_"What's gonna happen here?"_ Lawler asked as Rollins dropped the microphone back down to his side.

Randy watched on as Ambrose came back with a response, unimpressed by the man. Since talking to Rita earlier in the night, he tried biting back the unnerving feeling that she was with him. That she _had_ been with him. But that wasn't possible... Rita knew better than that. She knew better than to give herself to anyone else. Deep down, she knew that the only man she would ever belong with was him.

Folding his arms over his chest, he watched as Rita took the microphone from Ambrose, bringing it up to her plump lips. She had a hand placed over her heart, pretending to be offended over whatever was said.

_"I feel hurt, really guys. Seth... Seth, you and I,"_ she said pointing between the two of them. _"We were the closest. We clicked, you know? And I'm just... I'm hurt that you would even say something like that."_ She paused, pulling the microphone away from her face and turning a tearful expression towards Ambrose. Randy could feel the anger spike in him as Ambrose rubbed her back, soothing her. Rita brought the microphone back to her mouth, a solid expression now on her face. _"But you know what's going to hurt even more?"_

She didn't give either men a chance to answer as the hand that held the microphone came crashing down on Rollins' head. Ambrose began attacking Reigns, pushing him into the turnbuckle with a shoulder to the gut.

_"What is this?!"_ Cole shouted. _"Cherie Greene and Dean Ambrose turning! Turning on Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns! I can't believe this!"_

_ "Oh, you better believe it, Michael!"_ JBL commented. _"I believe that we're going to see a new era of The Shield."_

_ "A new Shield era?"_ Lawler repeated. _"It seems as though there might be two Shields!"_

Randy started to turn away from the monitor as Rita grabbed Rollins into a headlock and delivered a DDT to him, planting him into the mat. He tilted his head to the side, knowing just how much impact that DDT could have. She had never hurt anyone, but she sold her moves so well, anyone would be fooled otherwise.

He couldn't watch anymore of it though. He couldn't take it anymore. Rita was supposed to be in a storyline with _him_, not Ambrose. Why Rita even _agreed_ to any of this was beyond him. He should have told her no. He should have put his foot down with her long ago, before she gathered this crazy notion that she could just do whatever she wanted. The more he thought about it, the more it gnawed at his mind, eating away through his brain... the more the realization set in. It made his stomach turn, the thought of another man touching her in ways that only he should.

Rita had slept with Ambrose.

"""""

"That was great, Rita!" Stephanie cheered on as the four of them walked past the little makeshift office. "Fantastic!"

"Thanks," Rita said, stepping her way behind Rollins to stand next to Stephanie. Jon managed to keep his hand on her backside, sidestepping his way to stand beside Rita.

"Oh," Stephanie said, holding out her hand to Rollins and Reigns. "Your tag match against Punk and Bryan has been moved back a slot. It will now be the end of the second hour instead of up next."

They continued walking to their dressing room, Rollins walking backwards for a moment as he gave the three a thumbs up.

"And you two," Stephanie said brightly, "will be doing a segment with me in just a moment for your tag match at Extreme Rules."

"Okay," Rita said, nodding her head as she took a deep breath. Noting Stephanie's just-too-happy grin, and the eying she was passing between the two of them, she pushed it out of her mind. At least for now. She and Stephanie could have their girlie talk later. There was a job to do and a show to continue.

"Okay, just step back some," Stephanie directed. "Give it a moment before you interrupt us though. Paul, we're starting in thirty seconds."

Paul smiled at Rita, making Rita turn her head at him. Whatever had been on his wife's mind was clearly on his as well. Paul's eyes shifted between she and Jon as well, the cheeky grin on his face even wider. Rita turned to Jon. He was looking around them, watching the camera crew members and stagehands dance around them. He had pulled Rita back with him after a few seconds, returning his hand to her backside, firmly securing it there.

"And two, three!" a crew member shouted.

_"And can you believe what just happened out there?"_ Paul picked up as he spoke to his wife in front the camera.

Stephanie clicked her tongue, shaking her head. _"I know, I mean, who knew Cherie could do something so... "_ She paused, seeing the couple walk into the office. The camera panned to capture to view of Rita and Jon standing next to Paul and Stephanie. "_Speaking of which... Hello to the two of you."_

_"Yeah, yeah,"_ Jon said in the character of Ambrose, impatiently waving his hand in a circular motion. _"Enough with the pleasantries, McMahon. We want them... Rollins and Reigns in a match. Right now."_

_"Well as much as I would love to make that happen, Ambrose, I'm afraid it won't happen tonight. You see, they will just barely be able to perform their duties tonight in their tag team match against CM Punk and Daniel Bryan."_

The crowd cheered at the mention of the two fan favorites.

_"Yes,"_ Paul continued on. _"But seeing how you and Cherie believe the two of you can just attack them whenever, why don't we make it official?"_

_"Great,"_ Rita spoke up, her brows raised in challenge. _"When?"_

_"Extreme Rules,"_ Stephanie said, holding her hands up, her palms out towards the camera. _"Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins versus Dean Ambrose and Cherie Greene, in a no disqualification match."_

The crowd rumbled with cheers. Jon shook his finger at them for a short moment, then gripped Rita tightly around her waist. Rita gave Stephanie one last glance before allowing Jon to pull her away from the shot. They waited for a camera crew member to shout out it was done before Rita walked back to Stephanie, Jon's hand still planted to her backside.

"So," Stephanie grinned. "Details?"

Rita's eyes squinted at her friends. "About what?"

Paul's low laugh came from the side of Stephanie. "We see it, Rita."

"See what?" Rita asked coyly.

Paul's lips parted, obviously wanting to call out his wife's friend. "You mean other than – "

"Paul," Stephanie stopped him, nudging her elbow in his rib. She turned to Rita, a finger pointed to her. "You. Me. Talk later."

Jon watched the husband and wife couple walk away from the area. "You think they know?"

Rita looked up at Jon, an unbelievable look on her face. "Really, Jon?"

"What? Not like it's a bad thing, right?" He held her to his body, bringing her chin up and kissed her.

"""""

Randy couldn't believe the sight his eyes had landed on earlier. Rita – _his_ Rita – kissing that poor excuse of a life. Rita must have fell ill. She must have came down with something. It was the only thing that would explain why she would pick Ambrose over him. It just wasn't reasonable to Randy... She had picked Ambrose. Didn't she hate the guy six months ago?

What he couldn't believe even more was the fact that Rita seemed to enjoy herself around Ambrose. In the minutes before they had to go out to interfere in the tag match that Rollins and Reigns was in, he saw Rita with her hands on his face, laughing. They were _laughing_ together. Rita never did that with him. She always just sort of hung back with him in his locker room. If they weren't out with John and Nicole, they really weren't seen being social like she was with Ambrose.

It irked him. There was no way Rita actually liked Ambrose. She was classy. She was elegant. She fit right in with _his_ lifestyle; Not Ambrose's life. Ambrose couldn't provide her what she needed. Even if she said she didn't want anything, Randy knew she did. It was how Rita worked. Besides, seeing her face light up when she received something she wanted was the best thing in the world.

No, there was no way Ambrose could provide that for her. Randy _had_ to stop this. For his sanity. Even if Rita truly decided not to be with him, she just couldn't be with Ambrose. It wasn't a mentally sound judgment on Rita's behalf. She never knew what was best for her. But he couldn't wait until after his segment with John. Rita would be gone by then. He'd have to stand right where he was near gorilla and wait for her to come back through the curtain.

The monitor playing near the black curtain showed just what was going on. Rita and Ambrose circling the ring like sharks. A camera focused on Rita, and Randy was able to see the intensity on her face. His sorely missed that passion from her. The thought of Ambrose now having passionate nights with her felt like a punch to his gut. Biding his time until the match ended on a disqualification on behalf of Rita and Ambrose, giving Punk and Bryan the win, waiting for their segment ending with Ambrose talking trash to Rollins, who was laid out in the center of the ring.

_"And that's what's going to happen at Extreme Rules,"_ Ambrose's rough voice said. _"The rules will work against you, and you're going to lose."_ He stood, passing the microphone to Rita, who stood over Reigns to the side of the ring near the ramp.

_"Believe in the shield,"_ she spat out before the microphone landed on the mat with a thud. She dropped down and rolled out of the ring. Ambrose's arm wrapped around her waist as they walked backwards up the ramp, and Randy could have swore he did it out of instinct now. It appeared to come too naturally to Ambrose.

What infuriated Randy the most was the sloppy kiss the duo shared on the stage at the top of the ramp as they cut to commercial break. That was it... Randy had now seen enough. They were taking this storyline way too seriously.

The two appeared out the black curtain within a few seconds, Randy's patience nearly snapping in half like a twig when he saw Rita's hand still intertwined with Ambrose's.

"Rita!" he called out. She turned back around, looking at him, her smile dropping.

"You go ahead, I'll meet you there," she was telling Ambrose as Randy stalked up to her. She let go of Ambrose's hand, but he only stepped a few feet back.

Randy's eyes stayed on the man for a slow moment before he turned his attention to Rita. "What is going on with you?"

Rita's eyes narrowed at his tone of voice. "What are you talking about? I'm doing my job."

His eyes glanced at Ambrose again for a moment. "Yeah, seems like you're doing it too well."

"Why don't you go get ready for your match?" she returned, ignoring his obvious dislike towards the man standing not even four feet behind her.

"I know what I need to do." He started in on her, slowly closing the gap between them. "Don't worry about me."

Their intense moment was broken by Rollins and Reigns coming through the curtain. Rita looked over at them, appreciating the fact that Rollins seemed to know exactly what to do. The hybrid-hair Superstar walked up to her, throwing his sweaty arm carelessly over her shoulders.

"If I hadn't of taken that DDT earlier, I think I would have won that," he said with a grin.

Despite Randy's hateful attitude, she smiled, laughing at Rollins. "You'll wish you would have saved that comment for this Sunday," she told him lightly.

"Oh, me and Joe will totally win that," he said, squeezing his arm tighter around her. Rita knew he was purposely trying to pull her away from the icy blue stare of Randy. She took his sign, turning her body with his as they walked away from Randy. But just as Ambrose's arm wrapped itself around her waist, she looked back to Randy, a stone cold look on her face.

"Don't worry about me either," she told him right before they left the area.

Randy heard her loud and clear, her words hanging over his head. Everything was coming back at him. Every little thing. He learned earlier that he would be dropping the belt to Cena again, and there was a possibility that they would use him to boost some of the other talent. Yet Rita slipping away from him was the worst. He could deal with losing a championship. He could even handle falling down his career ladder a few rungs – he could easily climb to the top again. But Rita... She was irreplaceable to him, and had been since they became close.

Sighing heavily, he looked back to the monitor seeing that they were promoting his upcoming match at the next pay-per-view. He'd have to talk to Paul and Stephanie about pulling Rita out of this ridiculous storyline with Ambrose. They couldn't deny him this one request. They had to know that she didn't belong with Ambrose.


	13. Chapter 13

_**A/N:** Thank you to callmeoctopus, LivHardy, msgemgem, and Dorenda for their reviews. I much appreciate them. Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read this story thus far, and I hope you enjoy this one._

Jon laid himself in the middle of their hotel bed. His eyes followed Rita as she went from where their bags were to the bathroom. She hadn't said anything about Randy, seemingly wanting to forget she even talked to him. But Jon was curious. It didn't matter to him what she and Randy had been before... He wanted to know what they were now. Just as he parted his lips to ask, the cell phone that she had tossed onto the bed before scrounging through her bag for clothes, beeped and vibrated.

"See who that is," Rita told him from the bathroom. "It might be Stephanie."

He tore his watchful eyes away from her to grab it with the tips of his fingers. It was a text. But not from Stephanie.

_We really need to talk, Rita._

Rita stepped out of the bathroom, now in one of his shirts. Jon's eyes raked down her body, the sight of his white shirt pulled down around her bottom, the red panties she wore peeking out just underneath, turned him on more than he could ever imagine. "Who is it?" She crawled across the comforter on the bed, glancing at her phone in his hands.

Jon didn't have a chance to keep the phone in his hand as she snatched it and placed it on the nightstand. He wanted to look through her phone more, but when her body leaned over his, he couldn't stop his hands from wondering over her body. So warm and soft. So soothing and comforting her presence was to him. He couldn't help himself when it came to Rita.

His roaming hands tickled her through the shirt, Rita's velvety laugh meeting his ears only made him want her more. His hands settled on her hips, pulling her over his body. A burning desire provoked a moan from her as his palms reached up to cup her breasts, brushing over her nipples.

"He can text you all he wants," Jon said in a low voice. "You're here with me."

"Yes," she breathed out, instinctively bucking her hips some.

He ran his hand up her back, pulling her down to his body. "And what are you going to tell him, Rita? Hmm? What are you going to say to him?" He tugged on her hair, eliciting a heavy moan from her.

"That I'm yours, Jon," she answered, feeling the heat flush to her face. "I'll tell him I'm yours."

"Good," he said, attaching his lips to the side of her neck, suckling at the warm flesh. Stopping himself from biting into her skin, he pulled back, satisfied when he saw the red mark. He pushed her to the side of him, and stood to undress. "Now get some sleep. We have a SmackDown! taping tomorrow."

Rita wiped at the moisture on her neck, enjoying the view of Jon taking off his clothes. She was a little disappointed that she wouldn't get any of him tonight, but sleeping by his side was one of the better aspects of life on the road. She couldn't imagine not having him now, and as he lay next to her underneath the warmth of the covers, she nestled herself against his body.

"""""

The sound of her phone vibrating on the nightstand made her open her eyes. Her hand stretched out to find that Jon was missing from the bed. Lifting her head up, she could see where the balcony door was cracked open, Jon's silhouette standing in the sunlight. The smoke from his cigarette was billowing in the early morning air. She laid still as she watched him finish his smoke and come back into the room.

"Morning, sugar," he said with a smile on his face.

Rita shifted and pulled herself up against the headboard. "What are you so happy about?"

Jon took his spot next to her in the bed. "Waking up to see you hadn't left me during the night."

"Now why would I want to do that," she began asking him as her hand ran over the waistband of his boxers, "when I've been trying to get into your pants?"

The low growl of approval he let out as her hand explored him more lit the fire in her. But her phone had other ideas for their morning as its shrill ring broke through their quiet time together. Jon groaned, hastily taking it from the nightstand next to him and answering it. Rita sat up straight, accepting the device from him.

"It's Stephanie," he said as he stood. "I'm gonna take an ice shower."

She smiled at him, placing the phone to her ear. "Yeah, Steph?"

_"Rita, who was that?"_

Playing stupid wasn't something that Rita could really pass by Stephanie. "Someone," she craftily answered.

Stephanie seemed to pause for a moment. _"Hmm,"_ she said thoughtfully, and Rita knew that the woman had her lips pulled tightly together and possibly a hand on her chin. _"Well, I just called to ask if you could meet us for breakfast."_

"What, did Paul give my number out too?" Rita joked. She could hear Stephanie laugh as what sounded like a car door shutting vibrated in the background.

_"Very funny, Rita. No, actually, it's about you and Randy."_

"Randy?" Rita repeated. "Look, I don't know what his problem is, but I can't help it anymore."

_"I know,"_ Stephanie said with an empathetic sigh. _"I didn't want to get into details over the phone, which is why I asked. So, is it a yes or no?"_

Rita's lips parted, ready to tell her friend no. But when Jon emerged from the bathroom, towel slung low on his waist and droplets of water dripping down from his dirty blond hair, she lost all train of thought.

"Yeah," she breathed out, watching him more intently as he bent over his bag to pull out some articles of clothing. "Yeah, I'll meet you. Where?"

She only barely heard the place Stephanie rattled off along with vague directions, and let the phone drop to the mattress she was now crawling on. Jon stopped in his tracks, a pair of jeans and a shirt in his hand, watching her as she slowly made her way towards him.

"What are you doing?" he asked, his brows furrowing. "Rita, what's the matter with you?"

She didn't say anything else as she jumped on him. His arms just barely getting a hold on her as they nearly fell backwards into the bathroom door. Jon tried to grab onto the door frame, but his fingers slipped, and he fell to the bathroom floor, Rita still pounced on top of him. She raked her nails down his chest, bit his lip, taking as much of him in as she could. She would get hers this morning, and make up for what she missed the night before.

"""""

Stephanie saw Rita walk into the small private area, tossing her hair back and attempting to adjust herself. Rita approached the table that she and Paul were seated at, offering a smile as she placed the hoodie in her arms over the back of a chair and sat down next to Stephanie.

"You're a little... " Stephanie looked hesitant as she opted for something to say. Not wanting to comment on Rita's obvious visual dishevelment, she tilted her head to the side, exhaling a breath. "Late."

Rita caught the small laugh on Paul's lips as she sat down, placing a white cloth napkin in her lap. "Sorry," she said, looking away from Paul. "Something came up last minute."

"I bet," Paul agreed, nodding his head. The humor he held was broken by Stephanie's elbow. "Ow, Steph. What the hell... "

"So," Stephanie said, bringing her cup of coffee to her lips. "How are you?"

Rita's eyes narrowed as she saw his figure through the wavy glass on top of the half-wall that separated their area from the other sections of the restaurant. "I can't believe this," she all but spat out, pulling the napkin from her thighs.

"Rita," Stephanie started in. "Rita, please. He only wanted to talk to you."

"In front of two friends? What is this? A breakfast double date?" She made to stand, Randy's looming figure now taking a seat closer to Paul, yet straight across from her. She felt Stephanie's hand on her arm, willing her to stay seated.

"Hey, how you doing, Randy?" Paul asked quietly with polite manners, holding out his hand for Randy to shake.

"Could be better," Randy replied as he shook Paul's hand, his glare cast on Rita.

Despite the frustration written all over her face, she looked radiant. Randy noticed things about her that he hadn't at work, like how her raven hair was slowly growing back to a length that Randy liked better. It had a slight curl to it, different from the jet straight hair people saw on her at work, and it was tousled over to one side. He seriously doubted this knowing how she was, but even if she had just jumped out of bed and came to this breakfast meeting, she still looked stunning.

Randy took his time as his eyes traveled up the black, high-heeled boots she wore, lingering on the seemingly too tight dark blue jeans, right up to the leather button down shirt. There was a peek of white tank top showing through where the top three buttons were undone. It wasn't totally lost to him that she had an odd redness on the side of her neck. Then, as his glaze tore away from the marking and landed on her face, his blue eyes froze over again. The signature ice-cold stare was suddenly back on his face.

"Take a fucking picture, Randy," Rita said, in a tone that was too nasty, even to him. "It'll last longer." She couldn't help herself.

Paul nearly choked on the sip of water he took right as Rita opened her mouth. Clearing his throat after harshly swallowing, he tried speaking as he wiped his mouth. But Stephanie beat him to it.

"Thanks for joining us this morning, Randy," Stephanie said kindly. "We appreciate it."

Rita leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms over her chest and looking away from the table. Wishing that they were placed at a longer table, she only half listened to what Paul was now saying. Randy seemed to be sitting too close to her. She didn't want anything to do with him right now. Stephanie's question brought her back to the situation though.

"Hmm?" Rita said, having picked up on the second half of the question. "What do you mean? There's nothing to talk about."

Paul held up his hand, hoping Rita would calm down enough to speak rationally. "Rita, I know you're upset, but you two work together – "

"No, we don't," she said quickly.

" – and there has to be a balance between the two of you." Paul stopped for a moment, shooting Randy an apologetic look. "Randy has voiced some concerns to us. About your behavior."

"What did he tell you?" she sarcastically asked. "That I wasn't going to be his doormat anymore? That he couldn't wipe his shit covered feet on me anymore? What, that he couldn't walk all over me anymore? Please, tell me, Paul. What did he say?"

Though she was asking Paul all these questions, her fiery green eyes were fixed on Randy. There was not an ounce of sympathy in his expression. Rita scoffed as she felt Stephanie place a comforting hand on her arm, cursing the single tear that slid down her cheek. She looked up towards the fancy ceiling as she wiped it away.

"There's only so much of it I can take," Rita quietly said, more to herself than to any of them.

"I'm sorry, Rita," Randy finally said. "I'm sorry if you were hurt by what you saw. But that doesn't mean that you should just ignore me for weeks on end. We haven't spoken in a month and a half."

"And you think I'm gonna feel sorry for you?" Rita asked him, her eyes snapping back to him. "You're not even sorry it happened, are you? You're just sorry that you were caught."

Stephanie and Paul remained quiet, looking on between the two. This was not how this breakfast was supposed to go down. It was now obvious to Paul that Randy had left out something important in his sudden, urgent call last night. Stephanie placed down her cup of coffee with a soft clink, seemingly aware of the warning flag waving between Randy and Rita as well.

"Why don't we schedule separate meetings?" she asked in a nice, light tone. "You know, work out all the details in a more private and comfortable setting."

Rita watched as Randy's lips parted to say something, but she cut in, preventing him from saying whatever was on his mind.

"There's nothing to work out, talk about, discuss, whatever," Rita said as she stood. "He made his bed, quite fucking literally, and now he has to sleep in it."

"Rita," Stephanie tried again in a soft tone. "Please don't leave yet."

Randy temporarily ignored the plea to Rita. He was more concentrated on the black and gray striped hoodie she had placed over her head. Even if it didn't look like a man's hoodie, judging by the size of it and how it hung off her, Rita hadn't bought it for herself. She had an oversized hoodie or two, but nothing that ridiculous.

"I'm sorry, Paul, Stephanie," Rita apologized. "I can't stay here, wine and dine with you like it's okay. Because it's not." She slung the strap of her leather bag over her shoulder, hearing Stephanie sigh as she walked away.

Randy felt like flipping the tables over. He felt like smashing the dinnerware. Felt like breaking the coffee cups and the water glasses. Destruction was the only thing flowing through his mind. The destruction of his relationship with Rita was the only thing in his mind. How could this happen? They were moving on together. They were finally with each other. Sure, it had taken them a few years, but they were both finally in the right mindset to appreciate one another. Why was Rita being like this all of a sudden? She had never reacted like this before. Randy could only blame one person.

"I want her out of this storyline with Ambrose," he told Paul and Stephanie, earning him a look of confusion from the both of them.

"We can't just end it, Randy," Paul cautiously said. "It's a hot line right now."

"So what? It's making her lose her fucking sense," Randy defiantly stated as he leaned his elbows on the table.

Stephanie took a deep breath in, holding it as she thought of her words. "What is it, Randy," she started carefully, "that Rita is doing that you're so against?"

Randy was quiet a moment, disbelief painted across his face. Did she really have to ask that? "She's been hanging around him," he said, managing to keep his temper in check. It would be bad for him if he lost his cool towards not one, but two bosses.

"And by 'him' you mean Jon?" Paul asked, moving his hands to allow his wife to collect the menu underneath them.

"Yes, I mean _Jon_," Randy hissed out. Just hearing the guy's name pissed him off. Having to confirm by saying it made him want to kick a cute critter. "She's with him all the time now."

Paul's lips pursed in thought. "And this is something bad?"

"Of course it's bad!" Randy snapped, lowering his voice upon noticing a frightened look from the petite waitress currently standing at their table.

Stephanie finished telling the waitress what she and Paul wanted, turning to look past her husband at Randy. "Why would it be bad? She's clearly enjoying her time with Jon."

"Just some pancakes and bacon," Randy quickly told the waitress, watching as she hurried off, taking their menus with her. "It's bad because I haven't been able to talk to her about anything."

Paul cleared his throat after taking a sip of his coffee. "I'm under the impression, Randy, that something happened. Something that isn't being said. She has never been upset with you before."

"That's my point, Paul," he said, shuffling a hand on the table. "She's got mood swings or some shit now."

Stephanie paused a second, quickly dismissing the thought in her mind. Rita couldn't be. She was actively participating in the ring. _But what if she didn't know?_ Stephanie's eyes shifted to Randy and she shook her head. _No, no... She's not._ Rita knew her body very well. She would notice any differences.

Randy's eyes then shifted to Stephanie, irritation seeping from his pores. He then looked back to Paul. "Are you going to change it or what?" he impatiently asked.

Paul shook his head from side to side. "I'm sorry, Randy," he told the younger man. "We just can't. Not until we see that it won't go anywhere else."

Randy was even more annoyed by these words. What was wrong with them? Couldn't they see they were just aiding in Rita slipping away from him? So much for having friends in higher places...

"""""

Jon glanced over at Rita before looking into the side mirror to emerge onto the highway. She had been quiet all day. Not saying more than a few words, other than her scripted dialogue at the taping tonight. He looked at her again as he adjusted himself in the seat, speeding up the vehicle a bit to keep up with the flow of traffic.

"What's wrong, sugar?" he asked her.

She only shook her head, content with gazing out of the window to their rental. "Nothing."

He inhaled deeply, holding it in as he thought of how to get her to talk. They may have been sharing every waking moment together lately, but Jon knew he surely didn't know her yet. He put that on the list as well, right behind getting the story of that tattoo.

"You hungry?" he simply asked as he blew out the breath. With a small shake of her head, he pushed that idea out of his mind. Getting her to eat was also something he needed to know how to do. The last thing he wanted was for her to lose that hour-glass figure by starving herself. But they had eaten at the event's catering, so he wasn't too concerned with her not eating anything at all.

Still... Something had to give. She sighed out, leaning back into the seat, running her fingers through her hair. Jon waited, holding in another breath, hoping that perhaps she would say one thing... Just _something_. But nothing came. She just slouched down and continued staring at the cars passing to the right of them.

"Did something happen today?" he asked, taking a chance. She seemed calm enough that she wouldn't snap back at him; Not that he would mind, but now wasn't the time for that.

She remained silent for a few moments more, her eyes narrowing as she hesitantly turned to look at him. For a second... a split second... Jon thought he saw guilt on her face. Rita was smart. She knew that telling him that she was leaving him for Randy wasn't the best idea right about now, lest he veer off to the side of the road, making the vehicle roll out of control. He tried to force those words that she hadn't even said out of his mind.

Rita parted her lips, quickly closing them. She almost seemed nervous as she licked them, taking in a breath before finally saying what was plaguing her.

"You know this morning, Steph called, asked me out to breakfast?" she asked him, watching as he nodded, grunting in acknowledgment. "Well, apparently they asked Randy, too."

Jon somehow knew Randy's name would come up, but he attempted to control the rising anger in him, concentrating on the road ahead. Was Rita going to tell him that she slipped away with Randy to have some private time with him? Gripping the steering wheel tightly, he ground his teeth together at the thought. God, he hoped not.

"I was so pissed off," Rita continued. "I just left. Didn't even eat anything."

Jon quickly looked at her several times, feeling the bundle of nerves unraveling in his stomach. "So you are hungry?" he stupidly asked.

But Rita only turned and smiled at him. "No, I'm not hungry, sweetheart. Just upset at Steph for doing that."

"Maybe she didn't know," Jon shrugged. "Did you tell her you were pissed?"

She shook her head. "Haven't had a chance to talk to her yet."

"You haven't talk to him," Jon started asking, aware of his tone, "have you?"

Rita scoffed, disgust twisting her face. "Fuck no. I hope he choked on a dick for lunch after that."

Jon failed to contain the wide grin that spread across his face. He tried taking another shot at asking her something that he had wondered about before. "You, uh, ever gonna tell me what happened?" Glancing at her face for a second told him she was confused. "At his house about a month or so back?"

"Oh," she said as if a light bulb turned on in her mind. "You know JoJo, one of the new girls?"

"Girl with all that curly hair?" Jon said, motioning with his hand.

"Yeah, her," she confirmed, looking back out through the windshield as she spoke. "Well, I went over his house, had a key and everything, let myself in. I was going to get a few things, maybe even grow a pair and tell Randy that I didn't want to do it anymore, but he wasn't there. Instead, she was there, coming out of his shower." She ran her hand through her hair again, sighing. "I didn't have anything to say, seeing her there. Still don't. I was shocked, you know? After he claimed he wanted to be with me, and after I had wanted to hear it for so long."

Jon felt a sharp pain stab through his heart at those words. Did Rita still want to hear that from Randy... He was quiet though, glad she was at least venting. Becoming close to her seemed to be one thing he could scratch off the list. Trying to be light on the situation, he grinned, shaking his finger towards her.

"You wanted to beat her ass, didn't you?" he joked.

Rita looked at him blankly for a second. "If she wasn't so fucking young, I think I would have," she bluntly answered. "But the last thing I want to do is go to jail for endangering a child."

She allowed herself to laugh at the sadness of her situation with Randy as she heard Jon's laughter break through her thoughts.

"That shouldn't be fucking funny," he said as he glanced into the rear view mirror to see if another vehicle was behind them. "But it is."

"""""

Rita would have never guessed that telling Jon what happened at Randy's house that day would do her good. Confiding in him in general, about anything, felt really good. To her, Jon was so easy to talk to. She didn't have to impress him. She didn't have to act like she was full to her eyebrows in proper etiquette. She could let her hair down, relax, and just enjoy his company. She was beginning to realize that perhaps Randy was out of her league. Not that he was any better than the next one, but she could never place herself in the extravagant lifestyle he had. She never wanted to.

But the smile on her face over the very welcomed laid back nature of Jon faded as the door to the office opened.

"Rita," Stephanie said. "Dad told me there was something you wanted to talk to me about before you left out for your couple of days off?"

The somber tone Stephanie spoke in told Rita that the topic was already known. And it also revealed to Rita that Stephanie was already sorry.

"I just wanted to tell you what was going on between me and Randy," Rita said, pulling back the tongue-lashing she had all set out with Stephanie's name on it. She watched as Stephanie pulled up the office chair beside her and sat down.

Stephanie took Rita's hand in hers, concern in her eyes. "Please, tell me."

Swallowing down the fact that Stephanie was completely dismissing professional formality right now, opting to be a well-needed friend instead, Rita nodded and repeated what Jon had found out the previous night during their drive.

"Steph, I don't know what's going on with him," Rita concluded. "Honestly, I don't. But it was very clear to me at that point that his thoughts didn't have me in them."

"Oh, Rita!" Stephanie exclaimed, pulling her into a hug. "I had no idea. Oh, and then you and Jon... Paul and I see it, but we just weren't sure if it was serious or not."

Rita tilted her head to the side, clicking her tongue. "Don't know how serious it is myself, but he's helped me take my mind elsewhere."

Stephanie nodded in understanding. "How's he feel about all this?"

"Well, I told him what happened, you know, but sometimes I just feel like I'm using him."

"Using him?" Stephanie asked, her brows furrowed.

Rita waved her hands around, trying to find the right words to say. "Kind of like a rebound almost?"

"Oh, you mean, maybe he'll think he's the rebound from you and Randy?" Stephanie cleared up.

"Mhm," Rita confirmed with a nod, "and I don't want that to be the case."

"Make it so it's not the case," Stephanie said artfully, an eyebrow now arched. She took in Rita's expression before continuing. "If you're truly into Jon, let him know. Let him know that Randy won't just come rushing in and swoop you away."

Rita's shoulders sank, concerns and worries creasing her brows. "Would you hit me over the head if I told you that I don't really know how to do that?"

With a smile on her face, Stephanie stood, heading to the large office chair behind her desk. "Sorry, Rita, but I've retired from in-ring performance."

"One more match, Steph? For old time's sake? We can get you that black lace top with the plastic looking shorts."

Stephanie's laughter rang throughout the office. "Rita, please, no!"

"Maybe crimp your hair again. Do they even still do that anymore? The young kids today don't even know what that is now, do they?"

"You are too much," Stephanie said through her laugh.

"I could never do that. My hair would never hold."

Stephanie shook the laughter off, wiping a finger over the corner of her eye. "Isn't your hair kind of curly anyway?"

"Yeah," Rita shrugged. "Wavy, I guess."

"Listen," Stephanie said, a bright smile still plastered on her face. "Why don't we arrange a day where we can take a few hours to sit back and relax together? I could use it, and I know you could."

"I would like that." Rita stood from her chair, leaning over Stephanie's desk to hug her. "Let me know the details."

Stephanie patted her back as the hug broke, glad that she was now more aware of Rita's situation with Randy. The smile was still on her face as she sighed heavily and plopped down in her office chair, rummaging through the paperwork on the desktop. All the work she had planned to do seemed like it could be put off. But she could wait until Rita agreed on a day to spend some girl time together. Looking forward to that time made the tedious paperwork go by that much faster.


	14. Chapter 14

_**A/N:** I was going to wait until Friday to post this... But oh me, oh my... Did anyone else listen to Colt Cabana's Podcast show Art of Wrestling for this week? Dean Ambrose on the show, and I just loved it. Something about his voice... so good. It got me so excited, I decided to put out this next update. This one is basically getting to know some of Rita's background. Once again, I took a bit out of my own life. Write what you know about, right... Anyway, thank you to msgemgem and Dorenda for their reviews. Much appreciated. And thank you to all the people taking the time to read this. Thank you, and enjoy!_

Rita's lips quivered as she held back the laughter that bubbled in her chest. She looked straight ahead, sorely wishing that she had worn her sunglasses to hide the amusement in her eyes. Jon, however, was not so amused, frustrated sighs and huffy breaths leaving him as he continued looking around at street names. She could no longer help herself as she turned in the car seat to face him.

"I thought you paid attention the last time," she said as she looked at him.

"I fuckin' did," he snapped. "I don't normally have problems with learning directions the first time around. It doesn't help that your house is out in the middle of fuckin' nowhere."

"Oh," she said softly. "It is not."

"Well, are you done laughing at me yet? Because I would like to get home now."

The smile fell off her lips. Slight panic set in her, disappearing as quickly as it came. She wasn't betting on him noticing her breath catching in her throat and her body becoming stiff as she pointed to a street past the light they were sitting at. Guiding him down the correct path, having to backtrack from where he was originally heading, they finally approached her house. It seemed to mock her, looking a lot more dark, the atmosphere around it seemingly in a bad mood itself.

"Make yourself at home," she quietly said as she unlocked the front door and letting them inside. He didn't say another word as he took both of their bags up the stairs. She felt like she had to separate herself from him, waiting until she heard the luggage drop to the floor before slipping out the back door.

It's not that she didn't want him there. She did. Or else she would have never invited him in the first place. And him considering it a home, even in the smallest sense, didn't bother her. She thought about it some more as she slid down into one of the patio chairs that sat against the brick wall of the house. Even if Jon came back down looking for her, perhaps he wouldn't see her tucked away against the corner of the patio. She needed to think more about this... about them.

What bothered her was the fact that she had always been under the impression that Jon was incapable of loving anyone. Even himself. All his promos... sure they were for show. But she knew as well as anyone else that sometimes, real life broke its way through. And whatever issues, whatever problems a wrestler was having, it showed in their promos. It showed in their matches. If they had a tough life, their wrestling careers usually also had a tough life. For some people, it just went hand-in-hand.

Rita thought back to every promo she ever remembered Jon doing. Every one seemed so real right now. She could think of more than a few where the anguish seemed too genuine. He had seemed so pained, like the entire world was really out to get him. But that was a problem within itself... She didn't know what was real and what wasn't. She couldn't tell the Jon Moxley from the Jonathan Good. The two seemed to bleed into each other at times, and when he wanted the Moxley to come out, the Good came through. When he wanted the Good to shine, the Moxley seeped through.

Yet the time that she spent with him, away from the madness of the industry, away from the insanity of the business... away from the stuffiness of the company... He was simply Jon. Jon who was sweet with her. Who made her laugh, and she could make him laugh. A smile broke through at that thought. She loved being able to make him laugh, even if she didn't intend to. She felt like she could relax around him, and what was even better was the fact that he seemed to do the same around her.

But her smile faded again as she heard him call her name inside the house. Just a few more minutes alone...

"I'm out here," she reluctantly called out. She watched as he opened the patio door, a towel slung over his shoulder as he was drying his hair.

"The fuck you doing out here?"

She shrugged. "Relaxing, I guess." She looked him up and down, realizing his hair was damp and noting the change of clothes. "Didn't know I had been out here for that long."

He waved his hand, walking over to where she sat against the house. "I take quick showers." Sinking down into the patio chair next to her, he looked out to her backyard. Beyond the fifteen feet of brick patio, it was nothing but grass, and beyond that, he could see the small lake she told him about when he first arrived. His mind started imagining all types of events... Birthdays, pool parties, graduation parties even...

Looking back over to Rita, he heavily sighed. Who was he kidding... Even if she liked him in the tiniest amount now, she'd never stay with him. She was gorgeous. She was a beauty. Talented and kindhearted. And he was... Well, he was him. Nothing that she could write home about. Nothing she could ever brag about.

"Something on your mind?" she suddenly asked him.

Jon then realized that he was staring at her. _Way to go, dude._ "Nothing," he said shrugging his hands up, letting them drop back down to his lap.

She licked her lips, drawing her attention away from him and out to the backyard. "There must be something on your mind. You look like you want to jackknife me into the ground and bury me alive."

A smirk crossed his face at her words. "That's not it at all, sugar."

She stood, hands smoothing out the t-shirt she wore. "Well, I'm going to start on lunch," she said casually. "Maybe take a nap before dinner."

He was able to grab her wrist as she walked past him, and pulled her back, his dark blue eyes burning. "What's the matter with you now?"

Glancing down at his hand that covered her wrist, her lips curled in defiance, and she snatched her arm away from him. "Nothing," she said in a short tone.

Jon jumped up, the patio chair he was sitting in skidding back on the brick, following her back into the house. "What the fuck is wrong with you, Rita?" He continued to watch her as she pulled items out of the cupboard. "You want to put me in the fucking ground now or what?"

She didn't say a word as she prepared their lunch, ignoring the expectant look of Jon's. She knew it was irking him. That it was annoying him that she was silent. But she didn't want to tell him what was on her mind. Jon referring to her house as his home might have been a split second reflex, an automatic reaction, but it unnerved her in a way that she didn't like. Not that she would mind sharing her home with Jon... Randy never wanted to visit her. She always went to him. And she wasn't used to having someone over when she had the chance to even go back home herself.

"Hmm?" Jon prodded again, breaking her thoughts. "You gonna tell me something, huh?"

He grabbed her arm again, vaguely aware of the paring knife in her hand, and pulled it away from the counter, using it to push her back towards the sink. He squeezed tighter around her wrist, trying to provoke anything from her. The green eyes that stared back at him, unflinching, set him ablaze. As he stared into those emerald eyes, it dawned on him; He saw challenge in her eyes.

"Do you want to fight with me?" he asked her in a low, rumbling voice. His eyebrows raised in question as her expression hardened. "What are you gonna do? Stab me?"

"Do you want to get cut?" she asked, the smallest of smile glinting through the serious look on her face.

He simply shrugged. "Wouldn't be the first time." Moving her hand over the sink, he used his other hand to point down into the metal basin. "Put the knife down."

Rita's lips tightened at his demand. "No."

"Put the fucking knife down," he repeated with more bass in his voice. He could tell that she thought about it for a second longer, contemplating if she should continue messing with him. But ultimately, she relinquished her hold and the knife dropped down into the sink with a clang. "What's the matter with you, huh? You think pulling a knife on me will help us any?"

"I didn't pull a knife on you. You grabbed my arm. Don't grab me while I'm cutting up food next time."

Jon swiftly took both of her hands in his, bringing her body close to him. "I can grab you whenever I want to. You're here with me right now."

"You cannot grab me whenever you want to," she tried throwing back, the seriousness in her expression now genuine. "I'm not your girlfriend."

The anger that flashed in Jon's eyes placed her back in that locker room, with his hand tightened around her throat, demanding an answer. Demanding for her to obey to him. A tingle shot through her spine at the thought. She had already figured out that he liked to be in control; to have that control. And she was also pretty damn certain that it wasn't something he even thought about. She also had to imagine how many other girls he would treat the same. Jon would end up being another Randy to her, just on the other end of the spectrum.

"No," he said as he lowered his hands from her. "No, you're not."

She could have punched herself for the tears she felt trying to push through. Blowing out a deep breath, she shoved past Jon, leaving him in the kitchen as she made her way to her bedroom.

"""""

Jon waited an hour after Rita disappeared to the upstairs. He had put away the food she had taken out for their lunch shortly after she had left him standing there. Within that hour, he had heard her footsteps stop where he traced her bathroom to be. He knew he was correct when he heard the shower start, and it ran for a good half an hour before it finally shut off. Then her footsteps picked back up as she dressed. The soft, faint click of a door shutting had sent his heart racing.

As he bound his way up the staircase, he had hoped that Rita didn't lock him out of her bedroom. They only had a few days to spend with each other before they both had to be back to work. Rita locking her out would have completely ruined their time together. But to his relief, as he approached the bedroom, the door was only halfway shut. He stayed in the hallway for a moment, listening carefully to what sounded like her crying.

It made him feel like the lowest of the low. Like he was the platform that scum laid on. He didn't want her crying, and certainly not over him. Slowly, he pushed the door open, revealing the form of Rita laying on the bed. She was facing away from him, her arm draped over the curve of her waist. He left the door open as he laid behind her in the bed, wrapping his arms around her. She didn't protest or fight him. Instead, she seemed to sink into him, blanketing the warmth his arms offered over her. Jon sighed out, glad that she wasn't objecting to him holding her.

"You wanna tell me what's wrong now?" he asked her softly.

She shook her head, her words so quiet that he could barely hear her. "You'll be mad at me," she whispered. "So why try... "

"Mad? Sugar, why would I be mad at you?"

Sniffling, she wiped at the tears on her cheek. "Because I can't get over my past long enough to realize that I probably deserve better," she told him in a louder voice. "Please, can you just let it go, Jon? I don't want to hurt you like I've been hurt."

He didn't question what that meant. At this moment, it didn't matter. All that mattered to him was making her feel better. Making her feel good. That's all he wanted to do. She didn't seem to mind when his hands started roaming over her body. Her stifled sobs had ceased, and when he was finally looking into her eyes, frantically trying to read everything she wouldn't tell him, the tears had stopped as well.

Melding into her was everything he needed. Just having her around made him happier. He could only imagine what having her beside him would be like. To have Rita walk through life with him... He would have all the pieces missing. Even now, as her hands gently ran over his chest and he felt her legs wrap themselves around his waist, he knew this was right. It had to be. Jon had never felt so complete before in his life. He needed to make Rita his before anyone else thought otherwise.

"""""

Groaning, Jon felt her arm lift off his stomach. His hand quickly caught her though, pulling her back to him.

"Where are you going?" he rumbled in her ear.

She gave him a gentle smile, kissing him on the lips before taking her arm away from him. "Bathroom, my dear."

He watched her enter the bathroom, then laid back, resting his head on his arms. Looking to one of the windows, he realized it was getting dark out. He didn't even know when they had fallen asleep. Or when they had finally stopped loving on each other. Every touch, every nip, every nibble. Being without her, Jon realized as she came back out of the bathroom, just wasn't something that was possible for him. Not now that he knew he loved her.

She crawled back onto the bed, leaning her elbows on his chest with her head in her hands.

"I'm sorry," she said in a quiet tone. "I didn't mean to get all girlie on you earlier."

He felt her shiver as he ran his fingers up her arms. Biting his tongue was probably something he should practice more, but he couldn't with Rita. Open and honest was what he wanted between them. "Don't feel sorry. There's still something on your mind. I can tell."

Rita only shook her head. "I'm fine, baby. I promise."

Jon hesitated, looking at her suspiciously. He could see the look in her eyes though. He had to give her enough trust, and believe that she would open up to him eventually. He wouldn't force her.

"Okay," he said, grabbing her around the waist. "Okay, fine. I'll let it go for now. But tell me about some other things." His hands tickled her, the fleecy laugh coming from her calmed him again.

"What things?" she asked, settling herself on his chest. His hand left her hip, and she felt it run down her thigh, watching as his fingers landed on her left leg.

"This," he said, his fingertips tracing the flowers. "It's fascinating to me that you have a tattoo, and I want to know about it. It's been fucking chewing at my mind for months."

"Oh yeah?" she questioned as she rolled off him and adjusted herself to sit beside him. She sighed, running her own hand down her shin. "Well, I always wanted something simple and nice. It actually started out more red than this, over time the pinks kind of added themselves. I suppose it turned out more intricate than I wanted it to be. But I love it."

"Do you plan to have more work done on it?" he asked, sitting up so he could study the tattoo more.

She shook her head, taking a deep breath. "No. The last thing I got done on it was a reminder of why I had it done in the first place." She moved her leg slightly, turning it so he could see the inside of it better.

Jon looked as her thumb ran over a name inked in a dark pink on one of the larger petals. It was the name _Laura_ in cursive lettering. "Is there a meaning behind that?" he asked gently.

She didn't speak for a moment, concentrating on the name. After a minute or two, she took in a deep breath, licking her lips. "She was my best friend. Met in the first grade. And she was one of those people that never judged, you know... Never cared what walk of life someone came from. She was nice and sweet to everyone. Our friendship really cemented in middle school."

Rita tore her eyes off of the tattoo, straightening out her leg, comforted by the feeling of Jon's hand on her thigh.

"It was graduation practice," she continued. "And you know how they set up the gym with rows of chairs? Well, I was sitting behind her before they started arranging us alphabetically. This girl sitting next to me didn't like Laura for some reason. My guess would be because Laura was a white girl with long blond hair, because the next thing I know, this girl – "

"Black girl?" he asked.

"Mhm," she confirmed with a nod. "She started screaming and yelling at Laura to remove her hair from her knee. I didn't know what the fuck was going on at first, and to think this was back in middle school... I wasn't but thirteen at the time. So, she's screaming at Laura, and she's got her legs crossed so Laura's hair was touching her knee. I can remember the look on Laura's face, even now. She was genuinely confused. So, as politely as I could, I asked Laura if she could kindly place her hair over her shoulder, and later I told her that I asked her just to shut the girl up. She thanked me, and we started talking even more after that."

"That this girl was freaking out over hair touching her knee?"

"Well, you know," Rita shrugged. "Even at that time, I knew it was more than just hair touching her knee kind of thing. I never really encountered racism growing up. Was never personally bothered by it. But I knew the girl didn't like Laura because she was white." She laid back onto a pillow, leaning herself into Jon.

"But she was your best friend?"

Rita nodded with a chuckle. "We always joked that we were yin and yang. I'll show you some pictures of us together." Without another breath, she stood and opened her closet, taking out a black and white damask patterned photo album. Carrying it back to the bed, she resumed her place next to him. "This is us on the last day of middle school. They always had some sort of fun day or whatever they called it. It was supposed to be fun, but if you skipped it, they counted it as an absence."

Jon smirked as he watched her roll her eyes. "The logic in schools, right?" He looked to another picture she pointed at. "She's got black hair in this."

"She dyed her hair black at the beginning of middle school. I remember her mom hated it. But never fought her on it. She was absolutely ecstatic though when Laura finally stripped the dye from it. Took weeks for her blond to come back."

He took the liberty to flip through the photo album, taking in all the pictures Rita had not just with Laura, but with a multitude of other friends. One picture of she and Laura together caught his attention. Rita and Laura, now a soft sunshine blond, had their hair somehow braided together, binding them together. The swirled braid laid between their shoulders as the two hugged, bright smiles on their faces.

"How the hell did you guys do that?" he asked, captivated by the photo.

Rita laughed when she saw the picture he pointed at. "Our friend Melissa did that. Always liked messing with our hair, that crazy one," she explained, shaking her head at the thought of her other friend. "I still talk to her from time to time. Last I heard, she was out in Colorado with her boyfriend."

"So, what happened to Laura?" he asked in the most soothing voice he could offer.

Rita glanced at the photo album, tears stinging her eyes. "About four years ago, I get a call from Melissa while I'm down in North Carolina for some indie show. She tells me that Laura's boyfriend found her basically lifeless on the bedroom floor of their apartment after he had gotten in from work. And she tells me that Laura was in a coma. I promise you, I never fucking drove so fast in my life. It's about an eleven hour drive, and I made it back to Jersey in maybe six."

Jon's eyes popped open in surprise, but let her proceed before asking anymore questions.

"Didn't even do the show. I told them a family emergency came up, and just left." She watched as Jon's fingers ran over another picture of she and Laura on the beach, the waves splashing up on them as they ran into the water. "She was in a coma for a few days, then her body just sort of gave up. And that was so hard for me. It's different from when a blood-related family member dies. When you're friends with someone so deeply and your friendship is so strong."

He nodded, understanding completely everything she was saying. He flipped through another couple of pages of the album.

"When it's family, you almost feel like you have to be upset. Because that's, you know, your family. But friends? They're optional. They're not given to you by bloodlines. They're given to you by the grace of whatever allows us to breath everyday. By the sheer will of life." A shaky breath left her, a single tear falling down her cheek. "I felt like I lost half my body that day. We shared everything together. She knew of my dreams to wrestle, and I knew of her passion to do music. She's actually how I learned Philly more, other than my dad."

"How so?" Jon asked, looking up at her for a moment.

"She was in a band. Started it with her ex. I can honestly say I was probably their number one fan. They were relatively well-known in Philly, with the whole underground thing."

"I may have heard of them before. What was their name?"

"Raging Furies," Rita said, smiling at his expression. "Heavy metal band. I used to help her with some lyrics. She always told me I was good with words. Back then, I wished I could write music. She tried teaching me, but it just never clicked with me." She sighed. "Anyway, Laura had always messed with drugs and stuff. Things she shouldn't have. She had overdosed several times before, and we all just kind of hoped that she would spend a week or so in the hospital and then come out. Her body couldn't take it anymore though."

"Was she the inspiration to your tattoo?"

"Yes and no. She was still alive when I had the first few layers done. The pink you see in it, she was the one who told me that it needed more. 'To be pretty like you,' is what she told me. I listened to her, although I don't really care for pink. I always took what she said into consideration. When she passed away, it was about two months after that I had her name put in there. It was the last thing I wanted. Made it feel complete since she was the one who was there at the beginning to help me get it done."

"What's this?" Jon asked, pointing to a picture of she and Laura with their tongues sticking out. "Miss Rita, a tongue piercing?"

She laughed, rolling over to her back. "Yes," she said firmly. "I had my tongue pierced. We had it done together actually."

"What happened to it? I mean, maybe I haven't paid attention, but a few of my body parts have been in your mouth, and I've never felt it."

She laughed again, shoving at him. "I took it out after a little accident. Never bothered putting it back in."

"What accident?"

"A match, I somehow bit down on it the wrong way and it started to bleed. I remember my opponent, some girl who went by the name of Jessie Ease, she punched me in my mouth after she saw I was bleeding."

"Right, to make it look like the damage was caused by her."

"Yeah, I understood why she did it, but it still pissed me off. I stayed professional about it though. Although, my lip was bleeding too."

"What a bitch," Jon joked as he closed the photo album and set it aside. "You said you learned Philly some from your dad? Why's that?"

"Oh, he was from Philly. Born here, raised between being here and in Puerto Rico."

"Puerto Rico? So, you're Puerto Rican?"

She nodded. "Half."

A small laugh escaped him as he shook his head. "I've always wanted to ask you what you were. Being a white guy though, I thought it would be totally out of place. You just have that exotic look about you."

She smiled, shyly looking down at the space between them. "Exotic," she said quietly as she waved her hand. "Just another term for a mixed baby like me. Dad was Puerto Rican, and my mom is a mixture, black, Dutch, Native American... All that good stuff."

"Good stuff indeed," Jon agreed, tracing her jawline with his finger. "Where are your parents?"

"Well, my dad passed away about a year and a half ago," she told him, accepting his hand as he immediately grabbed hers. "And my mom still lives in Jersey, about an hour away from here at the most."

"Were you born in New Jersey?"

"Mhm, born and raised in South Jersey."

He bent his neck to look at her. "Where's your accent? You're supposed to have that Guido type thing going on."

She punched him hard enough to make him wince, and she tried hard to erase all traces of laughter behind her expression. "There are no Guidos in South Jersey. That's North Jersey and New York. You should know about New York, considering how much you hate them, right?"

He laughed out, rubbing his arm. "That was a very believable promo. I think New York is a dandy place."

She sat on her heels. "Sure you do. And you liked smashing a florescent light bulb over your head for real too, yeah?"

His head tilted to the side as he nodded. "A part of me, sure. Gives me a rush."

"Sick," she said with a smirk. Crossing her arms over her chest, she studied his face. "What about you? All that stuff you say in your promos real?"

"Does it have to be?" he asked, wanting to skirt around her question. "It's made me who I am anyway." He looked at her, seeing the query written in her eyes. Rubbing his hand over his face, he sighed out. "Yeah, I mean, I didn't have the best childhood. Like I told you before, I basically raised myself as a kid. Got into some shit I shouldn't have, but I did it to survive. My mother didn't care. My father was in and out of my life. I had to fend for myself. And if it wasn't for wrestling and the friendships that were forged from the industry, I don't know where I would be."

Rita's breathing slowed as she ran her fingers down the side of his face, her thumbs landing on his lips. Bringing her face to his, she gently placed a kiss on his mouth. "I think you're wonderful," she mumbled out as she pulled her lips from his.

He held onto her, keeping her in place as her lips hovered over his. He wanted to say it. To tell her that he loved her. _Let her know, damn it. Let her fucking know, right now, for all you're fucking worth._ But the words wouldn't leave his parted lips. Instead, he let her take control, feeling her hands comb through his hair. She straddled herself over him, the warmth between her thighs taking over his senses. He still had time, even after they went back to work. He had a strong feeling that Rita loved him just as much, even if she never admitted it. She didn't have to admit it. He already knew.


	15. Chapter 15

_**A/N:** Thought I'd push out this update since I have a couple of chapters lined up. I may also be a little bit too excited for the Royal Rumble tonight. Don't even know why. They're probably just going to let something that makes no sense happen like usual. But I'm hoping for a good pay-per-view in the very least. Anyway, thanks to msgemgem and girlacrossthestreet for their reviews. I highly appreciate it, and I much appreciate the readers for taking their time to read my story. Enjoy!_

It was close to dinner time by the time Jon bound down the steps. As Rita was placing food in the oven, she heard him talking on the phone. She didn't know who he was talking to, but his tone of voice suggested it was business related. Shaking her head, she sighed as she shut the oven door. Leave it up to the corporation to involve business on their days off. Finishing up in the kitchen, she made her way down the step into the den where he sat on the sectional sofa.

Tossing his phone onto the ottoman in front of where they sat, he pulled her into a hug, nestling his face in her bosom. They sat still a few minutes, arms tangled around each other when her chest vibrated with her talking.

"You have any clothes that need to be washed?" she asked as she held his head to her breasts, running her fingers through his messy hair. "I'm sure you have something in here that can be thrown in with my laundry."

He stood from the couch, quickly disappearing up the stairs. When he came back down, he had both of their bags in his hands and set them down in the hall area next to the den. She pulled them closer to the laundry room, bent at the waist, and was now shuffling through the compartments she had unzipped.

"I don't know what's clean and what's not, but I can wash everything and pack it neatly back in here," she said more to herself than to him. Jon stood just behind her, admiring the view.

"Well, Mrs. Good, perhaps you can bathe the kids while I chop some wood and get the fire started for dinner, too."

She stood straight, turning around to face him. "Very funny, Jon. But there's already wood chopped," she said with a smile. She tried walking around him, a few items of clothing in her hands. He stopped her, placing a knee between her legs and pressing her against the wall.

"You think I'm joking when I say I'm going to make you mine?"

The fear that should have been in her was instead a very keen sense of desire. The desire to bend herself to fit his every need. The desire to give him everything he wanted in life. His life... Jon had let a tiny bit of himself go. Opened up to her, and... _Damn,_ she thought as his blue eyes burned into her green ones. His question had her remembering things she had told him before. She hated to remember the bad things she had said to him.

"You're not a mistake, Jon."

His grip loosened on her. "What?"

"My wrong choice," she continued. "It's not you."

His hands slid over her stomach to her back, and he held her close to him. He wanted to memorize the scent of her so he could always keep it with him. Even though they'd be traveling together when they returned to work, he couldn't shake the feeling that Randy would eventually win his way with her again. And he wanted to keep this moment with her forever in his mind.

The shirts and pairs of jeans of his she held in her hands dropped to the floor as she caressed him. Feeling his body shake slightly alerted her, and she pulled away from him to see his eye reddened with a few tears. Rita held his face between her palms, wiping away his tears. She didn't say anything though, waiting patiently for him to open up.

"Why do I have to let you go?" he simply asked.

Confused, Rita's eyebrows knitted together. "Jon, what are you talking about?"

"Randy." He pushed himself away from her, turning his back towards her. "Don't think I don't know that you'll go back to him. You stood around waiting for him for years without so much as a fuck returned from him."

"Jon – "

"And now there's someone who cares about you, yet Randy's tenderly affectionate fuck and toss will be something you just can't say no to, right?"

"Jon, stop it," she said, growing angry at his assumptions.

"How long do I have to wait for you, Rita?" he asked as he paced back and forth in front of her, hand running over his hair. "How long will I be the one waiting for you this time?"

"You won't have to wait for me! I don't even know what you're talking about!" She bent down to pick up the clothes again, angrily marching over to the laundry room door, twisting the knob to open it. She threw the clothes onto the floor in front of the machines, going back over to where their luggage lay sprawled open. "I'm not some fucking idiot. Yes, I waited for Randy, and probably longer than I should have, but that was because I thought it would go somewhere."

"Probably? Yes, way longer than anyone should have waited for someone who wasn't going to commit to anyone or anything but his dick in the first place."

She ignored him, gathering up more clothes to be washed. "It's no longer going to go anywhere, and that was something I decided when I saw he just couldn't hold himself faithful to me." Before heading back to the laundry room, she stepped up to him. "I'm not fucking stupid, Jon, and it's not the first time that I've been in a relationship where the person probably didn't deserve someone who would give them everything they asked for! Where he would just drain me dry, taking every drop of fucking blood that my heart pulsed through my fucking body! And give nothing in return!"

Jon watched her as she turned away from him, going into the laundry room, where he shortly heard water running from the washing machine. Her past relationships history was a topic that Jon didn't want to know about. Not because he didn't care, but because he didn't want to be compared to her loves lost.

"I don't know what kind of girls you've fucked in the past," she continued on as she loaded the washing machine with their soiled clothing, "but whether anyone wants to see it or not, I _was_ faithful to Randy." She emerged from the small square of a room, wiping a damp hand on her shirt. "Maybe everyone thought I was just too fucking stupid for messing with a married man, and I admit that I was, but I remained solely his that entire time."

He watched her stomp her way into the kitchen, pulling down dinner plates and drinking glasses with a few bangs on the counter. She was pissed, and he didn't know why, but Jon took a particular liking to seeing her so riled up. Perhaps it was because he was the cause. Perhaps it was because now he knew that he could upset her. Maybe because he knew for sure that she did care for him. There wasn't any more question about it. He could get under her skin, and quickly, too.

Although he was amused at her moving around the kitchen with a rage that he hadn't seen from her, he didn't want to be asked to leave her home. The last thing he wanted to do was upset her so much that she wanted him gone.

"Rita," he said approaching her and taking a hold of her arm. "Sugar, calm down."

She snatched her arm away from his hand, continuing to work on putting together dinner. He felt a twist of anger rising in him from her refusing to be held by him. Grabbing her hand, he pulled her to the counter, holding her body against it with his. The heavy red melamine mixing bowl she was holding dropped, the sound of it breaking in two cracked through the air.

"Jon!" She tried fighting against his hold, but the grip his hand had on her wrist was unreal. The more she struggled, the harder he squeezed. She couldn't look away from the blue eyes staring at her. There seemed to be no expression in them. He was blank, completely void of any emotion. She was surprised when he laid his head in the nook of her neck. "Why are you fighting with me?" she asked him, her free hand coming up to rub the back of his head.

He let go of her wrist, and swiftly sat her on the counter top. One hand of his slid behind her, bringing her body closer to his; The other moved the panties she wore aside so he could slip a finger into her. She gasped at the intrusion, moaning into his shoulder as his fingers worked in her. When she felt his teeth pinch at the skin on her neck, she shifted back, looking at him.

"I don't like it, Rita," he said, "when you're mad at me. My world feels wrong."

The sound of a zipper filled the quietness after his words. Rita tensed, feeling his fingers pinch the sensitive nub between her legs. Insane... Crazy... That's what this was. Not two minutes ago, she had been angry at him for even mentioning Randy. Yet, here she was, sitting with herself bared to him, completely at his whim again. She could almost hate herself for reacting the way she did with him.

But it felt so good as Jon picked her up, bracing her with his arms and carried her to the couch. He sat down, keeping her straddled over him. The vibration of her heat rubbing against his straining cock was torture. He tore at the thin paneling of her panties, ripping it and discarding it from her body. The feeling of her sinking onto him was the best he had ever known. He grabbed a handful of the baggy shirt she wore, clutching the fabric in his hand as she bounced on him.

For once, he had no words, nothing to say as he bit his lip trying to contain the primal outcry that bubbled in his chest. With Rita, he had only a basic desire, a basic need to possess her. He clenched onto the shirt more, pulling her towards him. Turning her head so he could access her neck again, he bit into her flesh. The screaming moan that escaped from her only made him want to drive himself deeper inside of her.

Rita closed her eyes tightly, feeling Jon's teeth still in her skin. The good sense in her told her to fight it, but her instincts knew what he was doing. He was marking her, right where everyone could see. She didn't know how she would explain teeth marks bitten into her neck to the people at work. She was only thankful that Stephanie had pushed that romance line between their characters, or else she would never live down the fact that those teeth marks belonged to Dean Ambrose.

Jon pulled away when he was satisfied with the coppery taste filling his mouth. He gripped her thighs and spread them wider. He was more satisfied with the moan that left her lips as his hand landed sharply on her backside. She had leaned back, away from him when he gripped onto her bottom, forcing her to accept all of him. His eyes focused on the thin line of redness that dribbled down and soaked into the neckline of her shirt. A smirk crossed his lips as he looked at it. Her skin was torn a tiny bit, and the fact that he had done it made him feel so good.

Now everyone would know. Rita didn't belong to Orton. They would see his work and know Rita's meaning in life. They would know his own meaning in life. And those two meanings had finally crossed paths and belonged to each other.

"Jon," she moaned out as her body began to squeeze harder around him. "Please."

His blue eyes concentrated on her, the way her lips parted, begging him to bring her body some release. Her fingers filtered through his hair on the back of his head, slightly pulling his head back as she came. The sight and sound of her, knowing that he drove her to insanity, made his cock twitch. He slammed her hips down one last time before spilling himself into her, keeping her body still on his, wanting to enjoy it as her body milked him. Moments passed before he pulled her face down to his.

"You always feel so good, Rita," he murmured before taking her lips for a kiss. She merely nodded, trying to return her breath to a normal pace. "So good for me."

Rita's legs trembled as she removed herself from Jon's lap, the tingle of a cool breeze gracing between her thighs. Pulling down the baggy shirt over her backside, she quickly made her way up the stairs and into her bathroom. She could hear Jon's amused laughter as he held his pants up with one hand and followed her.

"You don't have to be shy with me anymore," he said to her as he stood behind her in the bathroom. His hand roamed over her bottom, lifting the shirt up some.

"I'm not shy," she said, swatting his hand away. "I'm just not used to walking around the house with no underwear on."

He lowered his lips to the back of her neck, nipping it with his teeth. "Maybe you should get used to it."

Rita didn't pay him any mind as she took a damp washcloth and gently wiped the delicate wound on her neck. "I can't believe you bit me that hard. Look at that, Jon," she said, looking at him through the mirror. "That won't heal by the time we have to go back to work."

"It better not disappear completely, or I'll be doing it again."

"No, you won't," she snapped at him. "I don't need any more scars than I already have. I know you've seen some of the shit I did in the indies."

His hands wrapped around her waist, vaguely aware that they were still yet to clean themselves up and dress. "You're beautiful, baby."

She sighed, wringing the cloth out again. "I might be pretty, but that's a hideous mark, Jon. Vampire bites and shit," she mumbled, taking to cleaning herself as he reached for another washcloth and did the same. As he pulled up his jeans and buttoned them, she left out the bathroom to her closet. He stepped out of the bathroom as well, watching her slide her legs into a pair of pink cloth shorts. She seemed frustrated as she yanked on the shirt he had stretched out, decidedly pulling it off over her head.

"You mad I ruined your shirt?" he asked her as he sat on her bed. "I'll buy you another one."

"No," she said as she pulled a light pink shirt on over her head. "I don't care about the shirt."

"What's wrong then?" He watched her dump the shirt into the hamper in her closet.

"It's just... " She stood up straight, pausing as she thought of her words. "I just didn't want a reminder."

Jon's head tilted in confusion. "Reminder of what?"

She looked at him with pleading eyes, not wanting to say anything to set him off. "You know... " She tried to busy herself with straightening up a few items in the closet.

"No, I don't know," he said, his arms now folded over his chest. "Rita, what are you saying?"

Her shoulders slumped as she walked out of the closet. "Don't make me say it, Jon. I asked you to let it go earlier."

"Say what? Let what go? What are you trying to say? What, you don't want me here anymore? What?" He was frustrated that she refused to tell him anything. "So, you wash my clothes, you make us dinner, we shower together for fuck's sake, and you can't tell me what you're thinking?"

The cell phone ringing on the nightstand pulled her attention away from the dirty blond sitting in her room, demanding an answer to his question. She knew what she wanted to tell him... That she thought that she would use him... Use his body, use the fact that he was interested in her... To make herself feel better about everything. To make herself believe, if only for a short while, that someone did love her.

She realized it was her phone jumping around on the nightstand with a call, and hastily grabbed it, disgusted with herself for even thinking of doing that to Jon.

"Hello?" she said as she placed it up to her ear and stepping out of the bedroom.

Jon looked at her figure move across the room and out the door. She probably wouldn't tell him what was on her mind. He immediately thought of the worse. Rita wanting him to leave her home and her life. To never see him again. But it was a little too late for her to try and pull back now. It didn't matter now if she didn't want him in her life anymore. They were meant to be, so he was damn sure going to make sure they were together.

Standing up, he walked out to the hallway, leaning against the wall, watching as she spoke to someone on the phone.

"Who was that?" he asked once she pressed her screen to end the call.

"Office," she simply said. Walking past him, she went down the stairs.

He cracked his head to the side, a step behind her as she went into the kitchen. "What did they want?"

She didn't say anything as she took out the tray of food from the oven. The delicious whiff of the food almost made him forget his question. Rita remained quiet as she fixed their plates, sitting his on the counter in front of him. She turned her back to him, taking drinks out of the refrigerator.

"Rita?" his voice said again, and she could feel his stare on her. She busied herself with wiping off the counter, then with picking up the broken mixing bowl. As she tossed the broken bits in the trash, he stopped her, grabbing her wrist and pulling her to him. "What did they say?"

Pulling her arm away from him proved useless. He kept a firm grip on her, refusing to let her go as his blue eyes pierced into her thoughts.

"A meeting," she finally said. "They want me to go up for a meeting. Contracts and lines and shit. You know how they do."

She waved him off, pushing away from him and into the den to pick up her ripped up undergarments.

"Rita, what is the matter with you?" He followed her, at a loss as to why she was being this way. "Stop." He grabbed a hold of her upper arm, squeezing it. "Rita, stop it."

"Just go eat your food, Jon."

"Would you stop it?" He pulled on her so hard, she almost tumbled into him. "What is going on? Why are you being like this?"

The tears that lined her eyes surprised him. She hadn't appeared to be upset as she was putting together their dinner plates.

"Please, just let it go," she said, repeating those words that Jon didn't understand. "We only have a couple of days before we have to fly out. Can we just enjoy them together?"

He sighed, running a hand through his unkempt hair. His thoughts struggling between making her tell him, by any means necessary... Or doing what she asked of him. He had to admit. Following rules was not something he liked doing. Especially when he believed that he should be giving her rules to follow. Perhaps he should explain to her somehow that she was to obey him, and that breaking any rules they set in their relationship meant that he would have to discipline her.

"Fine," he said, his deep voice sending all sorts of shivers down her spine. "But you have to tell me what the fuck is going on with you. I don't like the feeling that you're hiding something from me."

She nodded, pushing back the tears. "I will. I promise. Just not tonight."

He was quiet for a minute, studying the look on her face. "Let's eat dinner then."

As she followed him into the kitchen, she threw her ripped panties into the trash can and quickly washed her hands as she joined him at the table.


	16. Chapter 16

_**A/N:** How's about that Royal Rumble, eh? Best part about it for me? The Daniel Bryan chant that hijacked about a third of the title match. The other chants during that match were just as entertaining. And the Bryan chants during the Rumble match itself, and he wasn't even in it. But poor Rey though, yeah? Don't think I've ever really heard Rey be booed during his career, and then they cheered when he was tossed out. Kofi Kingston, as always, very entertaining during the Rumble match. Kevin Nash... that old puffer... I swear, I thought that by the time he made it to the ring, the next entrant would come out. And the sparkling highlight for me in the Rumble, was when Sheamus lifted Ambrose's shirt for the tenth hit on his chest. Oh, such cuteness that Ambrose is. I don't even think he knows it.  
_

_Anyway, I'm done going on about the Rumble... Thank you to Dorenda for the review, and thank you to everyone who follows, favorites, and reads this. I so very much appreciate your time. Enjoy!  
_

Out of the corner of her eye, Rita saw Jon shift in his seat for the hundredth time.

"Why did we return to work early again?" he asked anxiously. "We could have spent a few more hours alone together before flying out."

She didn't try to hide her smile. "Because you wanted to fight with me, and then made sure that we didn't even get a chance to rest." She was sure that as Jon turned his head to look at her, he could see the sparkle in her eye.

"You have plenty of time without me to rest," he countered. "Besides, what warm-blooded male could even think of sleep with you right beside him? I know it's damn near impossible for me to do."

Sitting up in the seat, she looked out of the side view mirror, flipping on the blinker as she waited for the few cars in front of them to clear.

"Well, I told you to try and take a nap while I drove," she said without sympathy. "You didn't want to. So, you can do RAW dog-tired, and wait until we go back to the hotel to sleep."

He shook his head, a grin on his face. "Cold-blooded, baby," he said lightly as they came to a stop in the parking garage. She opened her car door before he could say anything else, starting the walk into the building. Confused, he opened his door and quickly stood from his seated position. "Hey! Where you going?"

"Gonna see about our match tonight," she called out, barely turning her head to look behind her as she pulled up the high collar on her leather jacket, still conscious about the heavily makeup-covered bite mark on her neck. "Grab our bags, pumpkin!" She raised her arm, waving her hand around to him as she walked away.

She quickly saw where Stephanie was located within the building and started making her way, her thoughts happily on nothing but the few days she spent. They had argued and bickered, but she would have rather been arguing and bickering with Jon than spending her time with anyone else. She hated it, especially after the way they even became friends, but he provided her with a warmth that she just didn't get from anyone else.

Thinking of that warmth, she wasn't even paying attention to the person walking behind her, slowly catching up with the clicks of her boots on the arena flooring. His strong, muscular arm wrapped itself around her waist, and just by the scent of his cologne, she knew exactly who it was.

"Randy," she hissed out as he pulled her into a hallway where the activity was minimal. "What are you doing? Move. I need to talk to Steph."

"You're not going anywhere," he started saying slowly, "until you talk to me." He took a deep, slow deliberate breath, doing his best to calm his nerves. "I have been trying to reach you for the past three days. Where have you been?"

"I was home," she told him truthfully as she pushed his arm away. "I don't know why you do this, Randy. Not that we were ever really anything to begin with, but it's over. This fucking game between us is over."

Randy simply tilted his head at her, a toothy grin on his face. For a mere second, Rita almost had fear in her over his reaction. She could see muscles in his arms and chest flex. If he wasn't still wearing his street clothes of jeans and a t-shirt, she was pretty sure she would have seen muscles in his thighs twitch. His hand came up to his face, rubbing over the stubble on his cheeks.

"It's over," he plainly repeated. "You say it's over." He stepped away from her, nodding his head. "Okay, Rita, if that's what you say. I'm sorry for keeping you." Waving his hand back down towards the hallway, he moved away from her, allowing her to walk away.

She stepped sideways some, keeping her eyes trained on him. "Thank you," she said lowly as she began walking away. Yet, she paused a moment, just about feeling the rumble of Randy's voice as he spoke again.

"But you remember one thing, Rita. When you worked so _hard_ to come up the ranks of this company... Your first major, on-going storyline... Your first title match... You remember who helped you."

Rita's jaw set, and she stopped herself from straightening out the leather bag she carried on her shoulder. If she didn't know any better, she would have thought that Randy was threatening her career... Her livelihood. Ignoring the way his words sent chills down her spine in the worst way possible, she made her way towards Stephanie's office, the heels of her boots clicking with a stubbornness that even she couldn't take.

"""""

By the time Jon had rolled their bags into the locker room that they shared with Reigns and Rollins, Rita had already showered, hair slightly damp at the ends and a white towel wrapped around her. She sat on a bench alone with her legs crossed and her arms hugged around her. Jon looked towards Rollins, mouthing out a question as he pointed towards Rita.

"I don't know," Rollins answered quietly as he shrugged his hands up.

Reigns looked over at Rita, seeing the blank look on her face and realizing she was all but gone from this platform of life. Her mind was truly departed from any thoughts of tonight, the last RAW before the Extreme Rules pay-per-view. He was glad that staying professional was a strong point of hers.

Jon wheeled her luggage to her, kneeling down in front of her. "I've got your bags, sugar."

Not even bothering to look up at him, she pulled the paisley-printed material in front of her. In a way that was too mechanical, she took out her ring gear and headed to an area where she could dress without Rollins and Reigns seeing her. Jon waited a moment after she slipped behind the wall, a thumb on his lips in thought.

"Is she okay?" Rollins asked, his voice still in a quiet whisper.

He thought a second more before answering. "She was fine before she got here."

"Well, she walked in like a zombie, dude," Reigns said, also in a whisper. "Grabbed a towel and headed straight for the showers."

"Yeah, I think she used my soap," Rollins said, scratching his head in confusion.

"Great, now I'll smell you tonight while trying to talk to her," Jon said in jest as he began changing himself. "I just can't think of one think that would upset her other than... "

His words trailed off, not wanting to say Orton's name. And he was just in time, too, as Rita came out from behind the wall, her street clothes folded neatly in her hand. In that same mechanical way, she placed the clothes in her bag and didn't say word to them as she headed out of the locker room.

"Randy," Rollins said. "Geez, that guy is doing something to her."

"Yeah," Jon agreed, his eyes kept locked on the door even after it had shut behind her. "And I fucking hate it too."

Reigns tilted his head, lips pursed in his thought process. "You don't think he actually did something to her, do you?"

"To Rita?" Rollins asked before Jon's head could snap towards the Samoan man. "I don't think so. We'd see his balls chopped up and strung all over this arena."

"""""

Stephanie looked on in horror as Rita dropped Natalya in a way that looked like it was painful. Seeing the disappointed look flash over Rita's face for a quick moment, and hearing Michael Cole pass off the mistake as an attribute of nerves due to Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns circling the ring, Stephanie knew she hadn't meant to do it. It also helped that both Rita and Natalya knew each other enough to make it look like a graceful reversal move on Natalya's behalf. She glanced at Paul for a moment before returning her attention towards the monitor.

_"And Dean Ambrose tagged in by Cherie Greene,"_ Cole said. _"Greene now has the opportunity to regain her thoughts."_

_"How much can she regain, Cole,"_ Lawler started, _"when she has two of her ex-best friends at ring side trying to pull her concentration to other places."_

The camera shot briefly switched to the commentator's table where JBL was nodding his head. _"Indeed, Jerry. I can't help but imagine what's going through her mind right now, much less what's going to be going through her mind at Extreme Rules this Sunday."_

Paul gently gripped his wife's arm, drawing her attention to where they needed to head as the match was coming to an end. Stephanie adjusted the jacket to her suit and walked out in front of Paul, each of them holding a microphone. Natalya's music hit, signaling that Tyson Kidd had picked up the win, pinning Ambrose. Just as they stepped out onto the stage, they saw Natalya and Kidd celebrating their victory as they walked backwards up the ramp.

Rita stayed in character as she leaned over the ropes, yelling at the victors of the match.

_"Cherie, please,"_ Stephanie began after she allowed the Canadian couple to walk on past her. _"Cherie, I know you're upset over your loss tonight, and I know you're not too thrilled over having to face two of your former best friends this Sunday at Extreme Rules."_ She motioned with her hands as Rollins and Reigns entered the ring. _"But, please, Cherie, understand that all of this is happening because both you and Dean asked for it."_

_"That's right,"_ Paul said. _"You asked for this, and you know us. You've known us for quite a while now, and you know how fair we are."_ His words were meant with an onslaught of boos. _"And you know that when you ask, you shall receive."_

Jon stood from his sitting position in the corner of the ring. He held the back of his hand, shouting at Rollins and Reigns, holding up a hand to them.

_"And Dean,"_ Stephanie picked up again. _"We all know how protective you are when it comes to Cherie, seeing to how you saw fit last month to take her and keep her away from the world, and Dean, believe me, I get that."_ She paused, watching as Jon took two strides over to Rita, pushing her form behind his body, keeping Rollins and Reigns out of reach. _"But this Sunday, it will be every man for himself and every woman for herself."_

_"What we're trying to say here, quite simply, is that the no disqualification match will now have an added stipulation."_ Paul lifted his arm, flicking his hand to signal Rollins and Reigns to attack.

_"What the hell is going on here?"_ Michael Cole asked. _"Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns now set loose by the authority, but they just seem to be going after their former friend Dean Ambrose."_

Rita looked back and forth between Jon trying to fend off the two superstars and Paul and Stephanie standing on the stage. She raised her arms up, shouting a few things at the husband and wife couple. Paul shrugged at his wife, a casual smile on his face, and rose the microphone back to his lips.

_"I know you're wondering what that stipulation is, Cherie, and I'll tell you."_ He paused at Stephanie's hand on his chest, waiting for her as she spoke in his ear, away from the microphone. _"Well, my wife and I agree that this is what's best for business."_

_"Dean!"_ Rita called out from the corner of the ring as Rollins and Reigns held onto Jon, each holding an arm of his, keeping him held up for Rita to see.

_"He wanted to protect you, and you've now failed to protect him,"_ Paul continued. _"So, I'm going to protect the both of you... with a steel cage."_

_"A cage match!"_ Cole shouted out. _"A steel cage match this coming Sunday at Extreme Rules!"_

Rita dropped to her knees, holding her head in her hands, her fingers scrunching her hair as she watched the couple walk off the stage. Rollins and Reigns pushed Jon down, Rita letting out a scream as she crawled to him.

_"Dean!"_ she called out again, rolling him over and placing her hands on the sides of his face. He kept his eyes closed, the slight smirk on his face obvious to her.

"Drag me out," he discretely told her. She nod her head once, then took a hold of his arm and pulled him to the side of the ring. Though he was perfectly able to stand on his feet, he leaned on her shoulders, allowing her to guide him up the ramp.

When they finally disappeared behind the curtain, away from the fans looking on, Jon turned her and pulled her into a hug. He rubbed her back, feeling like he had to support her as she leaned into him. Her arms came up behind his back, her hands clinging to his shoulders. But before Jon could question her, Natalya showed up to their side, a concerned look on her face.

"Jon, what's wrong?" she asked, placing a hand on Rita's arm. "Sweetie, what's wrong?"

Rita pulled away from Jon, turning a tear-stricken face towards the pink-clad blond. "I'm so sorry, Nattie. I didn't mean to drop you. I just have so much shit on my mind. I should have been paying more attention."

"It's okay," Natalya quickly said, pulling Rita into a hug. "I'm fine, Rita, really. It wasn't even that bad. Really. So don't you be upset about it."

"Promise me you're not hurt?" Rita said in a quiet, child-like voice.

"I promise, Rita. Just a bump harder than we planned is all." She squeezed Rita tightly, turning her attention to Jon. "Take care of her, Jon."

"If she'll let me," he said lightly, but knew the heaviness of the words. She glared at him, but he ignored it, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and led her down the corridor. Taking care of her was exactly what he wanted to do, the notion of protecting her wasn't just a storyline idea. But being able to do any of that with people around Rita was impossible. Trinity had given her a hug, seeing if she was okay, and then Stephanie pulled her from Jon, an arm around her waist as they walked to the office area. Jon followed close behind.

"What's going on?" Stephanie asked, a friendly softness in her eyes. She sat down on the black leather couch, motioning for Rita to do the same. "What happened out there is completely off from what you normally do."

"I know, I know," Rita sniffed out, tears starting again. She placed the back of her hand to the corner of her eye, attempting to hold the tears back. "And I'm sorry for that happening. I felt like I was totally off my game tonight."

Stephanie shook her head. Hearing this confused her more than she wanted it to. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"No," Rita answered quickly. "No, I don't."

"Rita, you can't go into this cage match with a mindset like how you had tonight."

Rita sighed, wiping her cheek. "I know that, Steph. I'll tell you everything when we plan – "

Her eyes fixed on his figure, hating the very sight of him. Jon followed her stare, his nose flaring in anger as he saw Randy approaching them. Stephanie was too concentrated on breaking Rita's walls down enough to even notice Randy.

"Rita, please," Stephanie continued. "Talk to me."

"What do you want, Randy?" Rita asked him, Stephanie's request blocked from her mind.

"Hold on, now Rita," he said as he held out a hand to her. "I just wanted to see if you were alright. You seemed kind of lost out there."

She stood, the anger she felt at his words earlier taking over her emotions. She shoved him, pushing him back a few steps. Stephanie immediately stood, attempting to grab Rita's arm.

"You wanted to see if I was alright? Are you really some sort of fucking psycho? No, I'm not alright, and it's because of you!"

"What is going on here?" Paul asked as he walked in at the commotion, glancing between Rita and Randy.

"I don't know, Paul," Rita said, not taking her eyes off Randy. "Why don't you let Randy tell you?"

"Rita, there's no need for this," Randy pleaded, although Rita had the shrinking feeling that it was genuine.

"What there was no need for was you telling me that I needed you to get anywhere in life."

Randy kept his hand up to her, wanting her to calm down. "Rita, please."

"Last time I checked, who I spread my legs to had nothing to do with my passion and my love for this business. So the next time you decide to imply that I had to lay down with you in order to go anywhere, you're going to have to do a lot of fucking explaining to do to everyone who wants to know why I fucking quit this company."

Pushing past Randy and walking past Jon, she left the room, feeling as if she could bust Randy's lips just for breathing.

Stephanie look absolutely dumbfounded at what had been said. There wasn't even a need to second guess what Rita meant. Even as she looked up at her husband, he too, completely understood what was going on. Bit by bit, it was being revealed just how torn up Rita's relationship was with Randy; if there were any pieces of relationship left, they had surely been set on fire at this point.

There was no question though... It wasn't an accusation or some type of odd confession... It was Rita putting Randy in his place. A feeling of disgust fell upon Stephanie. Just the thought of anyone thinking that Rita had somehow smooched her way into where she was currently at in her WWE career... Well, the idea sickened her. From day one, she had thought that Rita was one of the most hardworking, dedicated people she had ever met in her life. Rita didn't need anyone but herself to achieve things. Befriending people was just a quality that Rita was good at, and it appeared as though Randy had taken advantage of that.

Rita's words were still reeling in Jon's mind. He resisted looking at Randy. If he did, he would have broken the man's nose and lost his own job. Wisely choosing to save his career, he took off after Rita. Paul and Stephanie couldn't even question him about anything, because he was just as lost on the situation as they. Catching up to her just as she got to their locker room, he placed his hand on her back.

"Don't," she said, turning around after slapping off his touch.

"Rita, I'm not here to hurt you."

"I just want to change and leave."

Jon nodded, opening the door to the locker room for her. Perhaps he wouldn't get anything out of her tonight about what Randy said to her, and he wasn't going to try. He was just going to be there for her. Whatever was said, it clearly affected her. It pissed her off more than anything else though, and for that, Jon was glad. Rita was a lot more sexy when she was pissed off than when she was sad.

"""""

Rita reached out for her phone off the nightstand. It was now the middle of the night, and she was still unable to sleep a wink. Unlocking the device, she finally read the text message that Stephanie sent to her hours ago.

_I think our girl day should happen sooner than later. We have quite a bit to discuss._

Despite the situation that blew up after her match on RAW, she had to smile at that. She couldn't have agreed more with Stephanie. But she just didn't want to deal with it right now. There was someone, a person, warm and breathing, laying next to her who hoped she would talk. About anything. Yet, he hadn't pushed her to talk. Jon had been so considerate and kind, going out of his way, doing anything to make her comfortable.

She looked over her shoulder, seeing his chest rising and falling. But one look at his face told the truth. He wasn't in a slumber. Rolling over to face him, she placed her hand on his chest, gently rubbing the warm skin.

"Why aren't you sleeping?" she asked him in a soft whisper.

"I should be asking you the same," he returned in a groggy voice.

"You don't need to lose sleep over me, Jon."

"I'll lose everything I have just to know that you're okay." He lazily waved his hand. "Not that I could really sleep anyway."

"You really want to know what he said?"

"Uh," he groaned out, the positive answer to her question overruling the negative answer in a heartbeat. "Yeah. Whatever his big mouth said, it didn't make you happy."

She sat up, clicking the bedside lamp on. Moving closer to him, she leaned against him, soaking in his warmth. She laid her head in her palm, leaning on her elbow on the pillows. "He told me to remember who helped me when I first got here."

Jon looked at her with an surprised expression. "He thinks he made you?"

Shrugged, she exhaled deeply. "That's what I got from it."

"What an ass," Jon huffed out. "I should have fucking punched him when I had the chance."

"Don't, Jon," she said quickly. "I am not going to feel bad over you getting suspended or fined for him."

"I wouldn't want you to feel bad." Taking the hand of hers on his chest, he laced their fingers together. "I'd want you to feel good that the jackass got punched in the face."

"Well, aren't you just sweet," she said, slipping her hand away from his and running it lovingly over his face. Her thumb lightly rubbed his lips, making her eyes fall from his dark blue eyes.

Jon concentrated on her, able to see how much she wanted him. It was unmistakable, plain as anything else in the room, and evident to him as he felt his cock twitch. Seeing Rita react to Orton as she did hours ago... He wanted to believe that nothing more would happen between them. Wanted to believe that Orton would never be able to bed her again. If the right time never came so he could tell her that he loved her, then he had to at least know the answer to question at the forefront of his mind.

"Do you still love him?"

Rita's hand dropped from his face, her expression turning stone cold. "Do you want to be punched now?"

"No," he said, trying to soothe her as he rubbed his hand down her hip. "No, I'm serious. You two have history. A friendship that was deeper than most. Obviously he cared about you. You were closer to him than you want to believe, Rita."

"Does that matter now? When he threw everything away like he did?"

"Just... Just do me one favor," he started out, watching as she tilted her head in inquiry before continuing. "Tell me when you want to move on."

"When I want to move on?" she breathed out, more than confused. "Jon, what are you talking about?"

"You know," he said dismissively with a wave of his hand. "When you find some handsome young guy to be with. Just let me know."

"Oh," she said dejectedly, slinking back down under the comforter. "Yeah, sure."

She reached over and turned off the light. The heavy feeling in her chest didn't help much in trying to force herself to sleep. She didn't understand... What was Jon really saying? That they were temporary? She wanted to leave this hotel room, leave the city... Going back home sounded so good right now. Things make sense there. Things were simple there. There wasn't anything complicated or nothing she couldn't fix if it were broken.

She could have never had Randy, and apparently she wouldn't have Jon either.


	17. Chapter 17

_**A/N:** Excuse any mistakes in this one. I kind of jumped around a bit._

Rita declined Rollins' offer of joining them for the drive to the venue for the pay-per-view. After she saw no emotion in Jon's face and heard no attempts from him to sway her decision, she knew separating herself from him was the better idea. Being only a half and hour away from the venue, she knew the exit she was supposed to take was coming up soon.

She didn't even know why she expected anything from him. It wasn't like he had asked her to be anything to him. Or like he had professed some undying love for her. He had simply said to her that she should warn him when she actually found a boyfriend. Maybe she should tell him to find a girlfriend first. That would be easier to deal with then having to tell him a lie... That she didn't love him. That she loved someone else. A chance to be with someone came and went, and she didn't take that chance. She wanted to take that chance with Jon.

_Stupid girl_, she thought as she glanced at the buildings she passed. Jon finding another girl would be best. Let him break things off with her. Then the facts that she had lied to him _and_ him not wanting her wouldn't eat at her. She'd have some wits about her, too, when the time came that he moved on. _Stupid, stupid girl._

She just wanted to keep driving. Drive past the exit. To not enter the building. To not have to see Jon there. Her eyes were slightly red from crying, although she did her best trying not to. Halfway into the trip, she failed miserably at that. Besides, even if she wanted to call Stephanie and inform her that she wouldn't make it to the pay-per-view, being in this cage match excited her. Who would have ever thought that a steel cage would be the only thing she could look forward to...

"""""

Reigns glanced at Jon again in the rear view mirror. Not only was the fact that Rita wasn't traveling with them setting off alarms, the fact that Jon hadn't said two words was very unsettling. Even Rollins noticed the unease of Jon's unspoken words, and like his Samoan friend, he had no idea how to go about bringing up anything.

Without even looking up, Jon seemed to automatically know what they were thinking.

"Please guys, don't throw your questions at me all at once," he sarcastically said and started talking before either of them had a chance to say anything. "I'm giving Rita some space. I asked her last night if she still loved him, and she couldn't answer me. So, I'm giving her some time."

Rollins looked at Reigns, seeing his lips curl. "You think that's a simple question for anyone to answer?" Reigns asked from the driver's seat.

Jon shrugged. "Shouldn't it be? I mean, the guy treats her like crap, and she couldn't tell me if she still likes the guy or not?"

"Man," Reigns started, no longer caring to save face. "Are you even fucking thinking about this? I mean, really thinking about it?"

"Yeah, I'm fucking thinking about it!" Jon defended. "What the fuck do you want me to do? She doesn't fucking want me."

Rollins had to laugh at that. He smoothed out a fold in his jeans before finding his friend's eyes in the rear view mirror. "How come we can see it? Why is it that everyone else can see it, except for the two of you?"

Jon didn't answer him, tearing his eyes away from the dark ones he saw in the mirror.

"I don't know if she's denying it or what, but Colb's is right. The both of you just need to come clean," Reigns said as he flipped the blinker on. "Just admit it. Admit how you feel to her."

"It's not that easy, Joe," Jon gritted out. "How can I do that when she's still got Randy in her system?"

Rollins met Reigns' eyes, giving a knowing look. Maybe Jon hadn't noticed in since he was wrapped up in Rita herself, but she wasn't bothering with Orton at all. They had heard the argument between the two. Anyone within the vicinity heard it. Telling someone off the way Rita had wasn't exactly the best way to declare love. But they didn't press the issue any more. They both knew that Jon would fess up in his own time, in his own way. That's how Jon worked. Something would make him see it more clearly.

"""""

Rita watched through the steel framework as Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins made their way down the crowd. It wasn't real to her until the cage door was shut, and she and Jon set themselves across the ring to begin the match. They had already worked out that she would handle Rollins more, while Jon worked with Reigns. Nearly everyone in the back knew that she could totally work with Reigns just as well as she could the other Divas, but they wanted this to be believable. They wanted to be able to showcase their skills, and doing that in the confines of a cage was going to prove itself to be difficult enough.

She was confident though as she caught Rollins' boot in her hands, blocking a kick that was to be delivered to her, Jon coming in from behind after laying out Reigns, and bashing his forearm against Rollins' back. The partially-blond man dropped down to his knees, allowing Rita to deliver one of her signature kicks to the side of his head. Following it up with a dropkick, she quickly rolled to the side of the cage, beginning her climb to the top after Jon had.

But a hand gripped the belt looped through her black shorts, holding her in place on the steel wall. She looked down, seeing Reigns' face and his finger waving at her. He pulled her down, swiftly kneeling, bringing her into a back breaker over his knee. Gripping her back as she rolled down onto the mat, Jon leaned over her for a moment before turning his attention to Reigns. The two battled it out, punch for punch, Jon getting the better of the large Samoan just as Rollins took to climbing up the cage.

"""""

Randy watched as Rita climbed up the steel cage next to Rollins, mercilessly grinding his face into the grid before jabbing him in the jaw. Rollins let go, falling straight back onto the ring. Randy would have to admit to himself that this match was going better than he imagined it would. But Rita always pulled through and then some. More than once, she had made him look better than he really was. She had made him feel better than he actually was. All he could do now was watch as her match went on, sitting backstage in his dressing room alone.

When he saw Rollins grab Rita by her waist and toss her over his head into the steel wall above the ropes, the anger spiked in him over this match. The storyline shouldn't have began at all, and now Stephanie and Paul would have the audacity to let a match like this happen. Rita toppled down the ropes, looking as though she was trying to stop herself from falling so hard. This left Ambrose to fight the two on his own. Randy hoped they beat the wind out of him.

Rita not speaking to him was all Ambrose's fault. The man had taken Rita away, not so unlike what he did on RAW a month or so back. He remembered the frantic behavior backstage when they realized that she and Ambrose weren't turning back around. And the most they had done to the man was fine him. Ruined whatever they planned, and a fine was all he received... The board was growing soft.

He was so engrossed in his thoughts that he didn't even realize that Rollins' feet had touched the mat outside of the ring. Reigns' massive figure climbing over the cage was what caught his attention, and when the camera switched back to viewing the action inside the ring, he felt his blood pressure rise. Ambrose had Rita in an embrace as they sat in the middle of the ring. He was saying something to her as officials opened the cage door. She looked confused, but Randy knew it was for the line.

Finally grabbing his knee pads, he began sliding them on, the shouting by Ambrose catching his attention. The blond was holding the referees and officials at arm's length as he scooted Rita towards the door. When they set their feet on the floor, Ambrose holding onto Rita to keep her on her feet, he asked her if she was okay. And then their lips met. Randy blocked out the confused exclamations of Michael Cole, and blocked out the crowd cheering louder, despite the team losing.

The program cut to the next match's promo, Randy not even caring enough to watch more than what he had. It was bad enough that he couldn't just take Rita and leave. She was pissing him off now. Her sorrow-filled guilt trip had to stop. She was right though; This game between them was over. It was done and over. Randy would take back what belonged to him.

"""""

Rita grabbed the back of her head as she walked backstage, rubbing the sore spot underneath her hair.

"Hey, you doing alright?" Rollins asked as he threw an arm over her shoulder.

"I'd be doing better if the two of you didn't pull my hair during the match," she said looking between Rollins and Reigns. "That hurts, you know. You both have long, gorgeous hair. Let me pull a few hundred strands of it out."

Reigns laughed, unraveling the black tape from his hands. "I'm sorry, baby girl, I didn't even realize I was pulling out your hair."

Rollins nodded, removing his arm from her. Stealing a glance over his own shoulder, he saw Jon walking behind them. He was clenching his hand together, flexing his fingers.

"Why don't we go out for dinner tonight?" Rollins asked quietly as they approached their dressing room.

"Sounds good," Reigns nodded. "Celebratory dinner."

"Yeah, for you," Rita put in as she lightly slapped his chest. "But I'm up for it if it's somewhere quiet and low-key."

Rollins then nodded, turning to look at Jon coming through the locker room door after them. "What do you say, Jon? You in?"

Jon shook his head. "Nah, might head to a bar for an hour or two, then go back to the hotel."

Rollins' eyes immediately snapped to Rita, the solemn expression on her face breaking his heart. He could have knocked Jon out for saying that... There was no way he was going back to his old habits. Not when he had Rita within his grasp. All he had to do was tell her...

"I'm gonna go change," Rita's soft voice said, her tone far removed from the humorous tone just a few minutes ago. "Think I'm just going to go back to the hotel myself and go to bed."

"Rita," Rollins said, holding out a hand to her.

"No, really, you guys have fun. You deserve it." Grabbing her things, she turned from them, heading into an area where she could change.

She didn't know what was wrong with her as she stood there, staring down at her bag. Hastily pulling open the nylon vest she wore, she held back the sob in her chest. It caused her chest to hurt, but she would rather feel that then to feel the weight of Jon's words. He would be going to a bar. Probably picking up a girl or two... taking them back to his hotel room... doing everything to them what he had done with her these past weeks... God, she felt so stupid.

Why would he be exclusive? He was a ladies' man, and a natural one at that. Randy had to try, but Jon... The hard edginess and the rough exterior worked much better than Randy's smooth talking and clean-cut appearance. Randy, by all definitions, was a playboy. Jon... Jon was just a bad boy. And they had both played her, toyed with her emotions. They both reached deep, and once grabbing on to any part of her worth a shit, wrenched it from her, walking away a piece of her.

Once changing back into her regular clothes, she slung her bag over her shoulder and left the locker room, saying her good-byes to Rollins and Reigns. Both men had sorry looks on their faces, but she didn't want their pity. Hugging them and planting a kiss on their cheeks was the most she felt like she could do. If she stayed in the building any longer, she was sure she would break down. She heard the locker room door shut again shortly after she exit the room, ignoring it as she knew it was probably Jon. He had been the one closest to being ready to leave when she left.

Just when she stepped out into the brisk night, Randy's sugary sweet voice drifted into her ears.

"Hey," he said, walking up next to her. She didn't reply, continuing to walk to her vehicle. "That was a really great match. They'll look at you as ground-breaking one day." Sighing, he realized she was still refusing to speak with him. Grabbing her arm, he stopped her, pulling her back to him. "Rita, please talk to me. I can't take this anymore."

"You can't? Why not? You got what you wanted. Your cake and you can eat it, too."

"What are you talking about?" he asked, narrowing his eyes. "I don't have what I want. I don't have you."

"Oh, please, Randy," she said, whisking away strands of hair the nightly breeze blew over her face. "Half the women you meet bend over backwards when they know you're coming into town."

"That's not true, Rita," he said quickly. "I have been miserable without you. There's nothing that matters more to me than you."

"Really?" she challenged. "Because having other women over your house when you 'didn't know she'd still be there' is on the level right below giving a shit about me, right?" She pushed his hand away from her, taking a step back from him. "Look, I don't care what your reasons are anymore. Just have the decency to leave me alone now."

His blue eyes darted between her two green ones. For once, Rita could believe that her words sank in. The look on his face was one of upset. She could almost read the rejection in his expression. Yet, she found his hands taking a hold of hers, pulling her into his body. His fingers quickly untangled from hers as he grabbed her face, keeping her still as he firmly planted his lips on hers.

"""""

Jon could take that she may not have loved him. But damn it, he thought she at least cared a little bit. Perhaps for Randy, caring was sharing, but Jon couldn't share Rita. He wouldn't be able to live himself if he knew that another man was getting a taste of his sugar every night. He couldn't live with the idea that Rita could just roll right over into the arms of another man. It sounded like a nightmare, and felt even worse when he imagined it. The picture of her sharing a bed with Randy haunted him more than he would ever admit. She deserved better than to be treated like a doll that Randy had his turn playing with after his other toys didn't fulfill all his needs.

The kiss that he saw told him everything. He didn't want to follow her, but unfortunately for him, his rental car wasn't parked too far from hers. It took every ounce of control in him not go over and beat Randy lifeless. He couldn't even blame Randy. Rita made her choice. He hated to think that their time together wasn't real, because his feelings ran too deep to believe that. Rita had been more than a lay to him. She was his confidant. She was someone who openly welcomed him into her home. She wasn't frightened by him or much of anything he did. She took him in strides, slowly accepting him.

Or at least he thought she was accepting him. The way she was taking in Randy right now, it appeared as though she accepted anyone who had a kiss on their lips for her. _Fuck it_, he thought as he tossed his bag into the trunk and slammed it shut. Going straight to bed sounded like the better idea. Not even alcohol could solve this problem for him.

"""""

Hearing what sounded like a car door shutting was all Rita needed to pull herself away from Randy. What she didn't need to know was who it was. She was dreading to learn for certain, knowing that it had to be Jon. And sure enough, when she looked away from Randy's face, she saw Jon in his car. She knew in an instant that he had seen the whole thing. Hopefully, he had heard it, too. She'd never be able to explain to anyone why she was kissing Randy after she claimed to dislike him, especially to Jon. He wouldn't care how it happened.

Randy stepped up to her again, holding onto her arms.

"Rita, come on."

"Let go of me!" she snapped. "You've done enough fucking damage!" She could scream to the top of her lungs. Not having any clue as to how to fix this mess with Jon, she tossed her bag into the car. Driving away from Randy and his issues... leaving him behind in his ring gear and t-shirt... was the only good feeling she came over her.

Sitting in her rental in the hotel parking lot was all she could do after arriving there. Fifteen, twenty minutes... Forty-five minutes to an hour... She didn't know how long it had been. She figured if she stayed out here, she might be able to catch Jon bringing back some girls. Maybe she could stop him. But looking at what time it was, it seemed hopeless. He had probably gone out to their rooms from whatever bar he was at.

Finally bringing herself to drag her tired body to her own room, she paused, the bag on her shoulder slipping. The sadness set in for her. The sadness of not having him in bed next to her. All she wanted was to be next to him. She didn't know if Jon would ever allow that to happen now. It was bad enough that he thought she was still hooked on Randy. She wasn't, and she thought she had proved that to Jon by being with only him.

Letting herself into the room, she thought on it some more. For months, she was captivated by Jon. Everything about him made her want to reach out to him. Had it been too presumptuous on her part thinking that he would know her by now? She couldn't think about it anymore. It was making her head hurt and her chest ache. Nearly breaking down in the locker room as she changed, and then Randy in the parking lot, was bad enough.

All of this was her fault though. If she had let Jon know exactly how she felt, and what she wanted out of him, then this wouldn't even be happening. He would be rolling around in the sheets with her instead of looking for affection elsewhere. He wouldn't have to reach out to anyone else if she stopped being so out of touch for him.

Not even caring to move the comforter, she landed face first onto the bed. She laid there for what felt like hours, but when she looked up at the digital clock on the bedside table, the glowing red numbers told her it was almost midnight. Midnight was the perfect time to close her eyes and forget about the world when. It was also the perfect time for a visitor, and whoever it was knocking on her hotel door didn't seem to know that she didn't want to move.

_"Rita, open up,"_ the husky voice said. _"It's me, John."_

Wrong one, but she wouldn't mind a cheery face right about now. Pushing herself off the bed, she made her way to the door, throwing it open carelessly. "Come on in," she told Cena, waving her hand.

"The guys told me that you didn't want to go out."

"Uh huh," she breathed out as she headed towards her bag. "What else did they tell you?"

John watched her for a minute, his crystal blue eyes reading her. "Well," he started slowly. "They told me that you seemed to be upset."

"Upset?" she repeated, stepping into the bathroom so she could slip into a pair of shorts and a shirt. "Upset? No, I'm not upset."

He hesitated, holding in a breath. Moving over to the bed, he sat down. "Are you sure?"

She sat next to him, crossing her legs in front of her. "I'm positive, John."

Confused over the differences of what Rollins and Reigns told him and what she was saying right now, he blew out a deep breath. Running a hand over the top of his head, he shrugged. "Okay. Just as long as you're sure. You're sure, right?" he asked her again.

She looked away from him, not wanting to set off any alarms in John. He was extremely receptive in the sense of knowing how people felt. Shifting on the bed, she knew she had failed in hiding her unease over the night's events. John let out a heavy sigh, slowly turning expecting eyes towards her.

"Rita," he said in a mild tone.

Before she could stop them, tears slid down her cheeks. The next thing she felt were John's arms around hers as he pulled her into a tight hug. "I hate him, John," she sobbed.

"Who?" he asked in a soothing voice, rubbing her back methodically as he felt her shoulders shake.

"Randy," she sniffled out. "He kissed me in the parking lot, and Jon saw it. Now I don't know where Jon's at, and I'm pretty sure he's pissed off at me."

"You don't know where he's at?" he questioned, his brows raising up.

She shook her head, pulling her body away from his as she wiped her eyes. "He said he was going to a bar. He doesn't want to be with me anymore."

John narrowed his eyes at her. "Were you two even together?"

She looked around the room, trying to shake the feeling of his cool blue eyes studying her. "No, not officially... Does it matter? I shared my home with him and now he doesn't give a shit anymore because of Randy."

John paused for a second, internally debating if he should ask her his next question. Seeing her sitting next to him, crying and upset over something that could potentially be easily solved, overrode the fear of Rita knocking his head off his shoulders. In the softest voice he could possibly speak with, he let it out.

"Do you think it might be because of you, too?"

As expected, her head snapped up. Her green eyes turned hard, the sadness leaving them in an instant. "What?"

He held his hands up. "Think about it, Rita. I know how you were with Randy, all those years never telling him how you really felt. Don't forget that he's the reason why we even became as close as we are today."

"I know how close we are." She stood from the bed, pacing in front of it.

"Randy was probably more of a jackass to you than anyone really knows," John said as he watched her walk back and forth. "Probably more than he even knows. But my point is that maybe you should tell Jon how you really feel."

"Wouldn't do any good now," she said, laying back down on the bed. "I should have said something when he asked me."

John patted her thigh, then stood from the bed. "Give him some time," he offered. "He probably still should know."

Rita didn't look up as she heard his feet shuffling towards the door. John let it gently click shut, leaving her alone in the room, on a king size bed, all by herself.


End file.
